The Key to Knighthood
by Chairman LoneStar
Summary: Formerly known as Life of a Knight II: Meeting the Master, this story has overgone an overhaul over the past few years, and I finally feel comfortable reposting it. Hopefully, I haven't changed too much of it that people will hate it, but it will definitely have the basic story that people enjoyed reading the first time around. Will include elements from all KH games to date.
1. Chapter 0: Prologue - Chapter 1: Story

_LoneStar: "It's good to be back, you all, and I hope the edits I've made here do not disappoint and make this chapter easier to read. Some of the formatting will change from now on and other elements of the story will be different, including the status of Talis and Xaltis' formerly symbiotic relationship at the beginning of this story. Please, as I asked on my profile, bear with me as the changes are made. I appreciate it all. __I'm so excited to be doing this all over again; after years of reading fanfictions on this site and others, I've found myself with the task of keeping up with much better writing styles and realizing how much my own lacked in depth. Hopefully I'll be able to do much better and be able to update more often as well. Without further ado, here is the story formerly called "Life of a Knight II", now known as "The Key to Knighthood"._

_Talis:" You forgot the disclaimer! Chairman doesn't own The Disney Company, Square Enix Ltd, or any of their products, including Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. "_

_Chairman: "One more thing, though, regarding the new method of introducing time to the story rather than little marked of sections merely with the ~~~~~L~o~a~K~~~~~ marker, the time and place will be denoted as such._

_Location Specific_

_Location Broad_

_Time of Day, Date_

_Also, the solar system that houses Hikari Lux Lucis has _two _Suns and the world has a Moon. To account for this, there are thirty hours in a day, twelve each under each Sun and the Moon for six hours in between each Sun. As such, the times are denoted with the tags F.S., F.M., S.S., or S.M., translating to First Sun, First Moon, Second Sun, and Second Moon. The dates are the same as the Gregorian 12-month calendar for convenience's sake, but the years are marked based on universal events. To keep times in perspective with the universe at large, the years will be marked twice, one date relating to canon events, while the other relates to events within this version of the universe. AR denotes years After the Restoration of Radiant Garden (events of Kingdom Hearts II). BSF denotes years Before ShadowFall and ASF denoting years After ShadowFall. ShadowFall…well…that shall be explained eventually. Enjoy!"_

**The Key to Knighthood**

Chapter 0: Prologue

_Duos Sol System_

_Deep Space near Hikari Lux Lucis_

_2:00 S.S., June 15, 1BSF (6AR)_

Ten years ago, a young man was whisked from his native world as it fell to darkness and tasked by the powers that be with protecting the light of the universe. His best friend and greatest rival became his first and most powerful enemy, controlled by the darkness and, to a lesser extent, his latent desire to travel the worlds. Along the way, the young man made friends with denizens of many worlds, defended the universe against the darkness, and brought his dearest friend back to the light. Fighting side by side, the young heroes defeated the enigmatic Organization XIII (in both of its forms) as well as the Dark Keyblade Master, Xehanort. With each battle, they became stronger and understood more of the universe and its power as well as the importance of the balance between darkness and light.

While the citizens of Hikari Lux Lucis go about their daily lives in relative peace, the remainder of the universe is in unsurpassed turmoil. Darkness is spreading once again, stealing the light of the worlds. The Wielders of Hikari Lux Lucis have no idea of the journey ahead of them, but they surge forward with the same zeal and fervor as all those before them.

In an undisclosed part of the universe, a small craft known as a Gummi Ship traverses the open space, searching for who knows what. Its conductors are two young men, not as young as the Knights, but young all the same. One of them, a spiky-haired brunet, has a serious look on his face, hardened by years of struggle and war. He controls the movements of the Gummi Ship, guiding it around the stray asteroids and other space debris. The other man, a long haired silveret, stares out into space as he hangs on to the weapons turret controls, awaiting the first sign of danger to blast it out of the sky.

"So how long have we been flying out here?" The silveret turned to his companion, a questioning look on his face.

"Don't know; been focusin' on the road. I'd say maybe a couple days, though." The brunet kept his face directed to the large windscreen, scanning the deep space for any sign of danger.

"What are we looking for? Just any signs of life?"

"Pretty much. Anyone we can find that hasn't been taken by the Heartless is a good thing."

"So why'd we take off without telling the King? And why'd we take the unregistered Gummi?"

"Because you know he'd come looking for us, or worse, tell us to come back. It's about time we did some of our own searching, you know?"

"I guess." The silveret got up from his seat at the turrets and slowly paced the floor of the cockpit. "You think we'll find anyone like us?" He lazily summoned his weapon with a flick of his wrist, a Keyblade that mimics the darkest of shadows, but sports an angel's wing. _Way to the Dawn_.

"I'd hope so, Riku. We need all the help we can get in this fight. It's been way too long, way too hard, and we've lost far too many lives as it is. The more people who can defend themselves, the better it will be for the universe."

"You have a point there, Sora. I just hope we can find someone before _they _do."

"You and me both, man. There's no telling what'll happen if _they_ get their hands on a Keyblade Wielder." With those words, an alarm went off on the dashboard.

"New world, Sora?"

Sora looked up then pointed to the screen in front of him. "I think so, Riku; we're still a bit of a ways away from it, but it's close enough to be on the radar. Looks like it's pretty populated, too. So hopefully a lotta recruits to the cause."

"And so, the heroes bravely face the future and what lies ahead..." The silveret smirked and returned to his seat behind the turret controls, locking himself in and setting his eyes ahead.

"Hahaha, very funny, Riku. But you _are_ correct; the plot thickens, in this case. Let's get closer to that world, though. I don't want any Heartless to attack us with so few weapons at the moment. Hopefully this place has a Gummi shop."

"So what are we waiting for then? Land this thing, wouldja, Sora?"

Sora grinned, turning to face his friend for a moment with a nod. "Let's land, see what's going on down here on this planet." With that, he faced forward once more and steered the ship towards the oncoming planet.

Chapter I: The Story Begins...

Character Introduction!

Talis C.X. Knight

Age: 17

Height: 6' 1"

Physical Appearance: Green eyes, jet black hair (Riku-style), tanned, lean, broad-shouldered

Attire: Black jacket (similar in style to Judai in Season 4 Yu-Gi-Oh! GX), black jeans, mint green sleeveless undershirt, and black sneakers

Xaltis T. Knight

Age: 17 (but a minute older than Talis!)

Height: 6' 1.5"

Physical Appearance: Gray eyes, light brown hair (Zane Truesdale-style), also tanned with same body type

Attire: Green Organization XIII-style cloak with the Crest of the Royal Knights (star shaped like the top of the Organization symbol) on the back in white, white sleeveless undershirt, olive green pants, and olive green boots

Kalin C. Knight

Age: 17 (but a minute **younger **than Talis!)

Height: 6' 0"

Physical Appearance: Blue eyes, white hair (Seto Kaiba/Kalin Kessler-style), also tanned with same body type

Attire: Blue and white hoodie with the Crest of the Royal Knights on the front and back, dark blue undershirt and jeans, blue and white sneakers, and tattoo of the Crest on left arm (hidden by hoodie)

_~~~~~~~TKtK~~~~~~~_

_Location Unknown  
Date Unknown, Time Unknown_

"Where am I? What is this place? And why is everything so quiet and glowing?"

Looking around, the view in front of this person was black – all-encompassing darkness – save for a glowing platform right below him with seven tangent circles of different sizes. The largest held his own portrait, dressed similarly to how he was at the moment. Sporting a black jacket with flared coattails, a green sleeveless undershirt, black jeans, and black sneakers, the teen had his eyes closed as if in thought. In the picture, he's holding his pride and joy, the sword Kaosuraito, a simply designed sword with checkerboard hilt and 44" blade, but very effective. The background of the picture is the castle of his homeland, the Kingdom of Hikari Lux Lucis, in a perfectly cloudless blue sky. In the smaller tangent circles lie pictures of his friends and family. His twin brothers, Kalin and Xaltis, respectively in blue and gray circles, share the same serious, focused expression. His sisters, Carla and Shania, in pink and purple circles, share the same happy yet hardened expressions of those who have fought hard to bring peace. In a smaller circle, colored white, lies his best friend and strongest ally, the Princess of Hikari Lux Lucis, Raina Lyte. However, the seventh circle, the one glowing most brightly, lies empty. (*)

"Can anyone hear me? If you _can_ hear me, would any explanation be forthcoming as to why that last circle is empty?!"

_Maybe it's for someone you haven't met yet._

"Who said that?"

_Forgot me already? I know we only just started liking each other again yesterday, but still, you'd think you'd remember your own brother, geez!_

"Oh, sorry about that, X, I forgot you were...here...where are you? And do you have any idea where we are?" The black-haired male looked around while he called out, searching for the owner of his voice – his brother.

_Oh! My bad. _Xaltis seemed to fade into view in front of Talis when, in fact, he simply walked up from his blind spot. "Heck if I know; I'm just as confused as you are, man." The slightly taller, blue-haired brother looked around as well. "Guess we should just look around."

"Sounds good to me."

As the confused teens walk the perimeter of the platform, they continue to look at the pictures, memories flooding their heads of times past, ranging between battles, knight training, home life, and for Xaltis, his path before deciding to return home.

"_Hey, little bro,_" Xaltis asks, not realizing he didn't speak aloud, "_do you think we can go home after this little dream of ours?_"

"You think this is a dream, X? _It feels pretty real to me. The platform's real, the pictures are real, this sense of peace I'm feeling is real, even the fact that you're talking to me in my head feels real._"

Xaltis begins, "_Talking in your – holy crap, we're not talking out loud! _How is that possible?!" In his surprise, he finished his exclamation aloud.

"**Anything is possible here, Xaltis, but that doesn't mean it is not real."**

Xaltis and Talis looked around furtively. "Who said that?" Xaltis yelled. "I know it wasn't Talis; now show yourself!" Talis drew his sword quickly from the sheath on his belt silently and swung it as if ready for battle.

"**Do not worry, young warriors, I shall not – and indeed cannot – harm you; in fact, I am here to help you and to show you why you are here. The platform before you is known as the Station of Awakening. When a hero is recognized for the amount of light in his or her heart, he or she is transported here to learn of what that status entails. Now, look at your sword, Talis."**

He did as she said – at least, the voice _sounded _like a 'she' – and saw it bathed in a light of such blinding intensity that he had to drop it to shield his eyes from being burnt out. When he uncovered them, however, he saw something incredibly different about it; it was Kaosuraito no longer. "What happened to my sword, Voice?"

"**It has been transformed...into a weapon made from the purest light."**

And the feminine voice was correct indeed; the sword had changed. It was smaller, more ornate, but similar to its original design. The hilt had changed to two irregular pentagons facing each other with the same crosshatching of Kaosuraito. The blade itself became gold with a black outline all around it and curved at the hilt into the shape of a heart. Off of the heart-shaped back end, the crossguard shaped itself into two wing-like extensions shaped like peapods with the same color scheme. The business end of the blade had another piece, shaped like his younger twin's initials. (*)

"It's beautiful, Tal!" Xaltis exclaimed.

"What is it, Voice?" Talis queried.

"**Pick it up and find out..."**

"Kaosuraito..." As he picks it up, he speaks its former name one last time as another voice rings out inside his head.

"_No, Talis. It's a sign that I'm forgiven, that you and Kalin forgave me for hurting you all. The forgiveness I received from all of you manifested itself as this weird-shaped sword. We'll call it Knight's Absolution."_

"OK, then. _Absolution_ it is...now what is this thing, Voice?"

"**It is a Keyblade, Talis. As I said, it is a weapon forged from the very light of the universe. With it, you can fight and release those called Heartless and Nobodies, creatures left behind by those that gave in or fell to the darkness in their hearts and therefore live without hearts and forms. Now look behind you."**

"What...?" Talis turned around to see a massive amount of insect-looking forms with yellow eyes and pure black bodies coming out of the ground. (*) "What...are _these_…demons Heartless?"

"_Guess it's time to fight, huh, buddy?"_

"Guess it is, brother." Talis held his new Keyblade tentatively as if to test how to best use it. "Hmm...maybe if I hold it just like my old sword?" From the hilt, he hoisted it up over his back as if carrying a 2x4. "Hey, this works! Heartless? No problem. Bring it on!" And with that, he ran to start fighting his new enemies.

"_Holy crap, Talis! How are you gonna fight all of these...what did the Voice call 'em...Heartless?"_

"What do you mean, I? You're helping, ya dip!"

"_What do you mean, I'm helping? I don't have one of those Keyblade things; only you do."_

Talis searched his mind, thinking for a solution in order for his brother to help in the fight. "Hey, Voice! You think you could get my brother here a Keyblade of his own? Does it work like that?"

"**Really, the choice is his. His heart has enough light to be a Wielder, but Xaltis, do you want the responsibility of being a Keyblade Wielder?"**

"If my brother can do it, then so can I. Besides, can't let him have all the fun around here, right?"

"**As good a reason as any, young man," the voice said with a chuckle. "Search your heart for the light within and call it forth. This is how a Keyblade is truly formed."**

"Sounds easy enough. Call upon the light in my heart..." Xaltis closed his eyes, focusing on the words the ethereal voice spoke to him. _Light in my heart, light in my heart. Sounds easier than it actually is..._

"Not to rush you, bro!" Talis yelled as he swung at a couple of the Heartless, swiping through one, but missing the other as it jumped at him, slicing his arm. "Ow! But could you hurry that heart-searching thing? I could use some help!" More Heartless jumped at Talis, slicing at his arms and legs, drawing blood.

"I'm trying here!" Even as Xaltis meditated, Heartless moved around Talis, slinking toward where Xaltis was standing, open and vulnerable. However, he paid no attention to the oncoming enemies. _Light in my heart. Light in my heart. _Xaltis searched the representation of his heart within his mind, finding small white wisps, like a visible wind, curling around a ball-shaped black flame near where he would consider his center. _Is that it? Is that my heart's light? It looks...odd. Why is there so much black?_

"**You still have not yet come to grips with your own darkness, and as such, the light in your heart battles with the darkness; the darkness, being stronger because of your own prior decisions, is more prevalent, but does not completely extinguish your light because – frankly – you won't let it."**

"_So does that mean I won't have a strong Keyblade until then?"_

"**Of course not! On the contrary! A Keyblade, while generally a weapon of light, is only as strong as a chosen Wielder's heart as a whole. Specifically, in you, your Keyblade will be representative of that. Light being stifled by darkness because of the state of your heart. As the levels of darkness in your heart change, and as you accept your darkness, your Keyblade will change to match that change in your psyche."**

"_Alright. Let's try this out then." _Xaltis opened his eyes and called out, "Come forth, weapon of light and dark. Aid me in this battle against these creatures of shadow. Come forth, weapon of my heart!"

Around Xaltis' right hand, a ball of light formed, wisps of shadow crackling across and around it like a protective barrier of electricity. The ball of light extended into a bar, first forming the shape of a castle chess piece as a guard around his hand. The base of the castle, instead of spreading out like the chess piece would, thinned and sharpened to a point, extending beyond the normal length of a castle and forming a blue and jet-black blade in a similar fashion to _Absolution_. The cross-guard's wings, however, were shaped more like bird wings. The tooth of the key was shaped like his own initials.

"My Keyblade..." Through his head walked the name _Knight's Penitence_. "Penitence...fitting name for what I have to do, eh?"

"Sure, why not? It's your Keyblade. Now could you PLEASE help me out here?!" Talis called over from underneath the Shadows, his Keyblade barely keeping them at bay as he swiped at them from the center of the platform. Raw, bleeding scratches covered his slightly pale arms, exposed as he discarded his jacket a short time earlier, while his brother was still meditating.

"Coming, bro!" Xaltis charged forward and the Shadows, their instincts allowing them to sense another heart and Keyblade, turned from Talis to face him. "Get off my brother!" He slashed at a Shadow, missing one, but slicing through a couple more, since Shadows loved to travel in packs. He slashed at a couple more but, unbeknownst to him, two were coming from behind him and slashed at his back one after the other, ripping his cloak near the crest. He fell forward a bit from the impact, cursing under his breath. "Rip my cloak, will you?" He spun in a wide arc, his Keyblade carving through the Shadows like butter. "Talis, you alright?"

Talis, on the other hand, hearing his brother fight, regained some inner strength and fought off the Heartless that surrounded him, clearing a path to one end of the platform. "Yeah! Dang Heartless getting in my way. There are too many!" He breathed heavily, surveying the min-battlefield before him. "You think we should, X?"

Xaltis, who had fought his way to the other side of the platform in the meantime, responded, "I don't see why not, T; as you said, there are a lot of these things, and it's been a long while since we fought together..."

"Don't have to tell me twice. Prepare to lose!" The twins ran at each other, swinging their Keyblades as fast as possible, destroying numerous Heartless in short order. Once they reached the center of the platform, Talis jumped over Xaltis, who slid underneath his vaulting brother, and they repeated the same to return to the other ends of the platform. But their Limit was not over yet; both knights struck the platform at the spots where they stood and then began to draw on the platform by dragging their Keyblades behind them, making a giant Crest of the Royal Knights. Finally, to end their Limit, they jumped high in the air and called out "_Salus in Lux Lucis!_" at which time the drawing on the ground started to glow. Both flew down to the platform and land heavily on their feet, swords crossed and light enveloping the platform, killing every Heartless in its path. (*)

When the light faded, nothing was left except the platform before the Heartless' arrival and the twins, breathing heavily, but with smiles on their faces. "Nice to see you haven't lost your touch, T. I knew you were holding back when you fought me."

"Same to you, big bro; nice job there."

"**Good job to both of you; you have passed your test, and now it is time to learn why exactly you have received Keyblades. As you both should already be aware, the war between the two factions in your Kingdom threatened to tear it apart, but you found a way to finally end it by joining together as one. Although you both disappeared soon after that moment, your friends took that "sacrifice" and made peace with one another. However, though there is peace once more in your home, the same cannot be said for the universe. Right now, others who also hold Keyblades as you do are fighting to defeat a great evil that threatens more worlds than just your own. You two, as the Keybearers of your world, shall fight also to combat this evil."**

"Voice! It's you again! But, wait, a few questions first. One, why were **we **chosen to be Keybearers? I mean, sure, we indirectly brought peace to our world, but our family did all the work."

"Two, there are other inhabited worlds besides ours? And how come we haven't been affected by these events before?"

"**For your first question, you two were chosen because you have the strongest hearts. Keyblades, though weapons, are sentient and choose their Wielders. Only those of the strongest heart can receive their aid and use their power. Even though, at one time, Xaltis succumbed to the darkness in his, he was able to come out of it thanks to you, Talis, and the strength of your bond as brethren.**

"**And as for your other questions, yes, there are other worlds and the reason you have not been affected by the events is because the evil I told you about did not recognize your existence until the events of the past few months..."**

"Whoops...uhh, sorry about that, Talis."

"Don't worry about it, big bro; you were lost then. Plus, I don't think it's your fault if Voice's explanation is correct. But then, Voice, how do we fight this evil?"

"**Use your Keyblades, young warriors, and remember **_**vires quod lucis in pectoris**_**, the strength and light in your hearts, it will never fail you...as you say in your homeland, **_**Salus in Lux Lucis**_** (*). Indeed, this is farewell for now, boys. Take care of your loved ones. When the time comes to fight, protect them. I may return to teach you more, or you may learn it on your own, but for now, go back home."**

As soon as the voice faded, light surrounded the pair and carried them out of the Station of Awakening to an uninhabited part of their homeworld, Kage no Sabaku, the Shadow Desert. The darkest part of their homeworld, there were only two reasons to be in a place of this nature. One was to be away from everyone and the second, if one didn't have a choice. But here they were, trying to get home to their family and friends.

"How do we get home from here again?"

"Good question, T...I actually don't quite remember."

"But, isn't this where the Castle was?"

"You mean, my Castle? Umm...I think so. There _are_ ruins here, but it has been a while, you know. You kinda blew it up, remember?"

"Oh, right...hehe, I forgot. Gotta love that Novus Form." (*)

So the twins walked aimlessly through the Shadow Desert, searching for a sign, a hint, anything to direct them back home. Suddenly, in the distance, Talis heard a low rumbling. "Do you hear that, X?"

"Hear what, T?"

The rumbling sound gets louder and a cloud of dust starts traveling toward them. Talis pointed toward the dust, musing, "That, do you hear that?"

"What the hell is that, T?"

Talis looked into the horizon and thought back to his memories of before the Station. "No...way...no freakin' way! That's...that's..."

From the cloud of dust, a man rode up on a motorbike, but this was not the ordinary motorbike. Colored green and black (remind you of anyone?), the bike had many secret compartments to hold all sorts of weapons and other miscellaneous items. On either side, the Crest of the Royal Knights was emblazoned in bright green. The man riding the motorbike looks just like Talis and Xaltis, only with blue eyes and white hair. He sported a dark blue T-shirt, blue jeans, and blue and white sneakers and his Royal Knight Crest tattoo was visible on his upper arm. As he pulled up before them, he stopped on a dime, kicking up dust which spread outward from the bike. "_Salus in Lux Lucis_, brothers...never thought I'd find you two this quickly."

"Kalin? Did you get taller?" Xaltis laughed at his own clever comment, winking at their apparent third brther.

"Very funny, X, I was about to ask the same thing!"

Talis laughed at his brothers clowning around with each other until his brain caught up with his younger brother's method of transportation. "Hey, why are you riding my bike?!"

"Well, someone had to ride it, and I certainly wasn't going to let any of the girls get a hold of this thing; you know how _they_ are."

"Well, did you at least bring a way for us to get back? We can't all fit on that thing."

"Of course! I'm not an idiot; I've been prepared for your return for a while, like I said." Kalin pressed a button on the control panel of the bike and two compartments opened, revealing twin hoverboards. "I've spent every morning out here searching for you. You had to turn up sometime."

Kalin hopped off of the motorbike and grabbed the two hoverboards, handing one to Xaltis as he approached. "Here's mine...and one for you, X. T, I'd imagine you want to ride your bike back to the castle, right?"

"You know me well, brother..." Talis got on his bike and grinned, his eyes alight with veiled excitement. "It's been a while, eh, old friend? Let's head home, bros! Hope you remember how to get back!" With that, Talis revved the supercharged engine and sped off into the desert sands, Kalin following not far behind with a whoop of joy.

"Hey, wait a second...guys! I really don't remember how to get back!" Xaltis rushed to catch up with them as they fade into the distance.

_~~~~~~TKtK~~~~~~_

_LoneStar: "It feels so good to actually have time to tackle this again; I truly missed writing and hearing from you all. I've read so many fanfictions since I first wrote this story in, what was it, 2010? I'm hoping that my writing style has gotten better since then and can eventually stack up to some of the greats on this site. Anyway, couple of notes. First, as I said before, I will be using many elements from canon. Some things will change as I see fit, however; after all, this __**is**__a fanfiction, so we're meant to take creative license, no?"_

_Talis: "That's a fair point, using characters other than Sora and Riku? That's bold, man."_

_LoneStar: "Of course it is! But that's the point of creative license. And it presents different challenges as well as opens up blank canvasses for use. Some parts people will recognize and some parts will be brand-new, I hope, or as brand-new as they can be with hundreds of thousands of stories in this database."_

_Talis: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, just don't screw up my story."_

_LoneStar: "Hey! At least I remembered your bike!"_

_Talis: "Sure, sure, whatever...Anyway, we'd all like reviews, so don't forget to do so, and if you have any ideas for O.C.s or anything like that, feel free to send LoneStar a private message with your ideas. He'll be sure to credit you if he uses them." _


	2. Chapter 2: Flashbacks Already?

_Talis: "How are you really going to find time to re-do these, what with your summer classes and Tumblr roleplays and life in general?"_

_Chairman: *gives Talis a look* "I'll figure it out. I owe the people who read my story before at least that much, and I owe it to you to tell your story."_

_Talis: "But what does this have anything to do with Kingdom Hearts?"_

_Chairman: "First of all, hush. Second of all, it's not another story; it's a flashback chapter, explaining where the heck you all came from! So don't criticize my methods, you...or I'll sic your 'best friend' on you..."_

_Talis: "Fine...but you didn't make that scene yet. Chairman LoneStar doesn't own Disney, Square Enix, Kingdom Hearts, or any of the elements of this story that may or may not be related..." *sigh*_

_~~~~~~TKtK~~~~~~_

_Previously in The Key to Knighthood…_

_From the cloud of dust, a man rode up on a motorbike, but this was not the ordinary motorbike. Colored green and black (remind you of anyone?), the bike had many secret compartments to hold all sorts of weapons and other miscellaneous items. On either side, the Crest of the Royal Knights was emblazoned in bright green. The man riding the motorbike looks just like Talis and Xaltis, only with blue eyes and white hair. He sported a dark blue T-shirt, blue jeans, and blue and white sneakers and his Royal Knight Crest tattoo was visible on his upper arm. As he pulled up before them, he stopped on a dime, kicking up dust which spread outward from the bike. "__Salus in Lux Lucis__, brothers...never thought I'd find you two this quickly."_

"_Hey, wait a second...guys! I really don't remember how to get back!" Xaltis rushed to catch up with them as they fade into the distance._

_~~~~~TKtK~~~~~_

Chapter II: Flashbacks Already?

_Central Corridors, Royal Chambers, Arceo Citadel_

_Lusevera, Hikari Lux Lucis_

_5:02 S.S, February 27, 1BSF (6AR)_

A dash to the left, a jump to the right, Talis ran through the castle, Kaosuraito drawn and ready for battle. He hadn't encountered any enemies yet, but that didn't mean it couldn't happen. After all, it wasn't every day that the main infiltration alarm sounded and the mere idea that that occurred was enough to cause chaos to run rampant throughout the castle. Too soon, Talis reached the Central Corridor. He poked his head around the corner, taking care to step quietly as he moved slowly down the hallway. It wouldn't do to be surprised by any possible intruders. At each door, he stopped and, after poking his head in to see if things were normal, he moved on. Finally, he reached the end of the corridor and the large doors before him marked the entrance to the King's bedchamber. Leaning his head against the door, he heard pained feminine sobs coming from inside. "What...?" He pushed open the door and walked slowly into the King's room, sword still drawn, but held more tentatively. "Who's in here? Answer me!"

Crossing the threshold dividing the antechamber from the main bedroom, he found the Crown Princess, Raina Lyte, in tears at her father's bedside. "Princess, are you alright?" He rushed to her side, kneeling next to her. Being her sworn protector – and her best friend – he could do no less.

Hearing a voice of comfort, she turned immediately and buried her face in his chest. "Talis, it's just terrible! It's not fair! I'm...I'm not ready to be Queen!" she sobbed, her usually strong voice muffled in Talis's armored jacket and through her tears. "There was so much - I had to learn - so much - he had to teach me - " The tears overwhelmed her and she gave in to her emotions, crying freely now.

"Why do you need to be...? No, it couldn't be that..." He turned to the bed of the King and observed. He noticed the pale skin first and, trailing up the arm to his ruler's face, saw by the cold, empty, lime-green eyes the King was dead, cut down in his own bed. "No, no, no, no! This isn't fair! How could the King be gone?! Who could have done this to him, to take our leader from us like this in cold blood?" Talis began to cry, not in sadness as the Princess did, but rather in rage. "The person responsible for this shall pay dearly...this I swear, by my word as a Knight. Princess, please excuse me. And don't worry about a thing; you'll be a great Queen, just like your mother. You'll rule justly and fairly, and everyone will love you, because we already do. Keep your head up, because that's how the King taught us all to live, isn't that right?" With those words, Talis released his hold on his friend and ran out of the room, eager to start searching for answers.

"Thank you, Talis. I'll remember your words, and take control of this kingdom. My father's legacy will never be tarnished." She looked to her father's bed one last time as she got up, standing resolute. "Wait a second, what's this?" She spotted a chain lying on the ground, sporting an odd but familiar charm, and picked it up slowly. "This is the symbol of...but that doesn't make any...I've got to tell someone..." She ran as quickly as she can out of the room.

_Specific Location Unknown _

_Shadow Desert, Hikari Lux Lucis_

_8:15 F.S., June 8, 1BSF (6AR)_

Talis woke up almost as quickly as he had fallen asleep earlier, thinking back over the dream that seemed so real, for in fact, it was more than a dream; it was a memory. "That day was one of the worst, no, the worst day ever. Not only did I find out that the King was murdered, but that the murderer was one of our own, my own brother, no less. I've had this dream every night for the past nine months, and even though it's all over now and X is back on the side of light, this dream still haunts me...but why? The worst is over; we're finally heading back home. We're just stuck in this godforsaken desert...which is so damn dark!"

"_Go back to sleep, Talis! Yeesh!" _The voice of his elder brother rang through his head like a grate.

"_X, hush, you've been asleep all night...stop being a lazy prick."_ He shot back, not even realizing they were speaking in their minds again.

"_Did you just call me a prick? We can still do this mind thing, and I know you, I know your mind. You're a prick too!"_ Xaltis retorted, his voice sounding smug as if he were facing his brother at that very moment.

"_Hence why I call you a prick; don't threaten me in my head. You wanna fight? We can do it right here like men!"_

"_We can't mentally fight each other, you know?"_

"_Oh, can't we, now? __**Rector mihi ut quis ago in meus mens."**_

Talis entered his own mind to find Xaltis standing around, looking confused and embarrassed. "How

the heck – how is this even possible, T?"

"The family spellbook is more extensive than you know, brother. You never paid attention as much in our classes, did you?" Talis answered smugly as the pair found themselves at the Station of Awakening, or at least, a place that looked a lot like it, in his mind. "The location is different than I expected, though."

_**This is the Station of Transcendence, Talis. Due to the mind link you now have with your brother, as well as your status as Keyblade Wielders, you two can come here and speak with each other, regardless of where either of you are. This ability will, in time, extend to other Keyblade Wielders you may meet, should you choose to foster such relationships.**_

"Rather convenient. It'll do, though," Talis responded.

"You know what? You're right; it will do. 's the perfect place for me to hand you your butt," Xaltis said, cracking his knuckles.

"Are you sure this isn't to hide your shame once I kick your butt? How would it look, a professional knight getting his butt handed to him by his little brother, hmm?"

"_Cut the trash talk." _Xaltis summoned Knight's Absolution, to his surprise, and Penitence to his hands. _"Oh hey, look at that! I can use both! Which leaves you with nothing, I presume?"_

"Grr...steal my Keyblade, will you? And here I thought you were reformed...but you do have a point. I wonder...can I...?"

Kaosuraito appeared in his left hand and another of his old swords, Nensho, appeared in his right. "Hello, old friends, nice to see you again. Will you fight with me today?"

"_Yes, we will, Master Knight. Just point us in the right direction."_ Nensho was a white blade, sporting flame designs of red and orange.

"_Your swords talk to you? What the hell?"_

"_We talk too, Keybearer; you just haven't bothered to say hello yet!" _a peppy feminine voice rang in Xaltis' head.

"_What? Absolution? Penitence?"_

"_Penny, if you please. My formal name is far too...formal," _the cutesy voice answered.

"_Actually, that's just for Penny. I prefer my formal name. Anyway, yes, we talk as well; we're connected to your mind. And since your mind is connected to your brother's, he can hear us as well, which is why you heard his swords talk," _another voice, gravelly and male, followed.

"_This is very confusing...I need a minute."_

"Well, you can't have it, X. You called me out and now you're gonna get it, right here in the Station of Transcendence, and it's gonna end a little differently to our last battle, brother, but not by much. No holding back, but no death blows, got it?"

"_Bring it on, kid; we've danced this dance before." _Xaltis spun both Keyblades in his grasp before pointing them outwards from his body at an angle.

Talis ran at Xaltis with a shout, his blade pointed directly at the center of his brother's chest. "Time to show you why I defeated you the first time! Nensho Hiko!"

"Yes, Master Knight!"

Xaltis stood, his Keyblades already crossed to defend his position, so the last thing he expected was what happened next. Nensho began to glow red-hot and ignited and, at that very moment, Talis threw the flaming blade into the air and jumped up to follow. "フライング強度 の火災に!" Talis landed on Nensho, which had become a flaming board, and Kaosuraito held in its normal position over his back. "Come on!" He launched himself at Xaltis, swinging Kaos as if signing his name in the air. "No stopping this fire!" He slammed into Xaltis and slashes him with Kaos, then jumped off of Nensho as it slashes him on its own. Kaos, then Nensho, Kaos, then Nensho, in an almost endless cycle of slashes. "This will be your end!" Talis landed, with Kaos and Nensho crossed in his hands, as Xaltis lay smoldering on the ground.

"_OK, OK, I give! Now get this fire off of me!"_

"Fine..." He released his swords, snapped his fingers, and the fire dissipated. "Now, do you remember why I beat you last time? I'm stronger than you, X. Don't ever forget it. _**Solvo mihi ex meus mens.**_" Talis exited the Station, leaving X to brood on his latest defeat, which, even at the hands of his brother, stung quite harshly.

_How did he beat me...again? _Absolution and Penitence come to his hands, this time as points of reflection. _Even with my new power, I still can't beat him...just like last time…__**Solvo.**_

Talis fell back to sleep outside their minds while Xaltis lay awake, thinking back to past times. _I'm at the mercy of my own memory now. Great, like I really needed to relive this. _Xaltis' mind returned to the last time he and his brother faced each other in combat, which ended in a similar fashion.

_Outer Embankments, Shadow Citadel_

_Shadow Desert, Hikari Lux Lucis_

_Time Unknown, April 15, 1BSF (6AR)_

Talis glowed with green fire as his irises seemingly grew to cover the entire stretch of his eyes. The short black jacket he wore almost religiously was extended at the coattails and the edges changed to look more haphazard, as if ripped. Kaosuraito glowed white and changed shape, first becoming wider and more curved at the blade, then splitting at the hilt. "Kaiso...help me save my brother," he whispered, holding the sword to his face. "X! You may be a traitor, but you're still my brother, and I will bring you back home, conscious or not!"

Xaltis summoned a sword to his hand with a dark overtone, the blade thin but straightened. The hilt was shaped like a black flower with dagger-like extensions and a chain from the back end with the Crest of the Royal Knights at the end of the chain. "Hey, Talis, say hello to Knight's Demon, the tool for your destruction! You'll rue the day you set foot in my domain!" X an as fast as he can, then brought Demon to bear at Talis, who blocked the sweep easily. Both attacked each other with the finesse and strength of evenly matched, seasoned swordsmen. "Talis...I can't believe you still haven't cut your hair! You look like a girl!"

"Ng...quit talking about my hair, yours is worse! At least mine is straight! Yours is so wild and crazy!"

They separated and came at each other again, harder than before. Each slash by one man was parried by the other, neither brother giving an inch. It was a testament both to their training together before this event and the force of will the two had that they still managed to be evenly matched. Despite the desperation of such a fight, the two were still enjoying the meeting; warriors such as they were always enjoyed the heat of battle.

"Seems like we're evenly matched, eh, Talis?" Xaltis seemed to be gaining a bit more ground now as Talis' blocks were weakening. X pressed his advantage as he mused, "At least you've not gotten lazy."

"Not a chance, X!" Talis jumped back and the tip of his blade glowed blue for the slightest fraction of a second before he yelled, "Blizzaga!" A giant globe of ice appeared seemingly from nowhere and flew straight at his opponent.

Xaltis was hit by the iced attack and fell to the ground with a frozen arm. "Damn...ng, cheater!" He broke free of the first ice attack and then came running at Talis again.

"Not cheating, winning. Blizzaga!" Another ice blast froze Xaltis' other arm. "Blizzara!" A third froze his legs to the ground.

"Now, my dear brother, time for you to face the light of judgment. Kaiso! Shinzui!"

"Yes, Master Knight!" An orb of light began to charge at Kaiso's tip and Talis pointed it towards the sky as if he planned to take all the light from the stars as well. Kaiso then absorbed the light gathered there and the blade appeared to be stretched to a good four times its original length. Of course, that was not the case; the light gathered there only made it appear to be so. As it was, however, the blade of light was much more potent than the steel that the original blade was made from. "Brother! Accept the light!" Talis makes a horizontal slash in his direction, then vertical, then right-slant, then left-slant. He performed about five or six cycles of this before pointing Kaiso to the sky again and firing a beam of light into the heavens.

None of the slashes managed to hit Xaltis, which surprised him…until he attempted to move. "Wh - what are you doing, Talis? Where is that going?" Xaltis looked up in the sky with a large measure of fear. He tried to break free of the makeshift ice prison he found himself in but it seemed this was somehow more powerful than the ice he broke his arm free from.

"Oh, you'll see." He turned his back to Xaltis, and intoned in the quietest of voices: "Final Shinzui..." The light that Talis shot into the air revealed itself and explodes, letting loose countless arrows of light which all headed straight for Xaltis.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" The innumerable number of arrows pierced Xaltis in all directions, coalescing in a blinding light, followed by a giant cloud of dust which enveloped the two of them.

_~~~~~TKtK~~~~~_

_Specific Location Unknown _

_Shadow Desert, Hikari Lux Lucis_

_8:30 F.S., June 8, 1BSF (6AR)_

Laying on the desert sands, Xaltis reflected longer on the last two fights with his brother. _That last battle, I was so full of darkness, I couldn't see straight to know that it was wrong to fight Talis...and I paid the price. But is my heart still so full of darkness now, after I've returned to the side of light? I don't understand it..._

_~~~~~TKtK~~~~~_

_Specific Location Unknown _

_Shadow Desert, Hikari Lux Lucis_

_10:30 F.S., June 8, 1BSF (6AR)_

The morning light grew dimmer as the First Sun approached setting, and Xaltis was still deep in thought, but Talis and Kalin seem quite well rested.

"Morning, brothers!" Kalin greeted his older triplets.

"Morning, Kalin! Morning, X!" Talis responded.

"Morning, guys," Xaltis greeted half-heartedly.

"You alright there, X? You look like you can't even stand on your feet!"

"I'm fine, Kal, just tired. I didn't get much sleep last night. No worries." Xaltis picked up his cloak, which he used as bedding for the night, dusts it off, and drapes it around himself, walking off.

"I wonder what's wrong with X, Kal."

"Nightmare, maybe? How about you ask him instead of me, dude? You do share a mind, remember?"

"Good point! _**Rector. **__X? You alright, bro? You seem incredibly lost._"

"_I...I just don't know, Talis. It's like this. When we fought in the Shadow Citadel, I felt so powerful, like nothing could beat me, and when you did beat me, I realized that darkness was not helping me. But then last night, when we fought again, I felt like I was right back there, in that dark place. I couldn't even put a scratch on you, but you basically obliterated me. If you brought me out of there, then where is my strength?"_

"_X, the strength you're looking for isn't anything I can give you; you have to find it on your own. I mean, I can help you, but only so far. The rest is up to you, and how much you are willing to work to find what's in your heart. That's where it is, man._"

"_My heart? Excuse me if I sound ungrateful for the advice, but that sounds pretty corny, T."_

"_Yeah, it does, but it's true. Only then can you access the power that hides inside of you. And once you find it, I have a feeling you'll be pleasantly surprised. You're far more powerful than you know._ _Remember what that Voice said?_" Talis started to walk to a door that appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"_Talis?"_

"_Yeah?_"

"_Thanks...I needed that. Let's get outta here."_

"_Sure, no problem, man._ _**Solvo.**_" Talis walked out of the door and then awoke from his mind.

"Is he alright, T?"

"Why don't you ask him?" Talis pointed to a now smiling Xaltis.

"Feeling OK, bro?" Kalin asked Xaltis.

Xaltis turned and responded with a grin, "Yep! Now let's go home, eh?"

"You're right, it's still a long way back to the castle, so the sooner we start the better." Kalin started packing up the camp. "Hey, open up Reminiscence for me, so I can dump this stuff in there." Talis opened yet another compartment on his motorcycle's shell and Kalin put all the supplies and bedding inside it. Once he finished, he closed the compartment. "OK, done! Time to go!"

Talis swung his leg over the left side of the bike to get on and Kalin and Xaltis launched their hoverboards, ready for takeoff. "Let's get outta here."

Talis revved Reminiscence's engine and took off in the direction of the castle, followed by, or rather, flanked by Kalin and Xaltis. "Hey, bro, while I was gone, did you ever learn how fast Reminiscence goes?"

"You mean it goes faster than you're pushing it now?" Kalin queried.

"Guess that's a 'no'," Talis' face now sported a feral grin. "Just watch..._**deprehendo ventus quod solvo vinculum secundum volo." **_ As he spoke those words, Reminiscence glowed with a faint blue light. Yet another compartment opened, this time on the rear of Reminiscence, revealing twin wind propellers, which moved Talis and his bike at impressive speeds.

"What the...hey! Get back here!" Kalin pressed a hidden button on his board with his left foot, which caused his board's speed to increase as well, Xaltis getting the message and doing the same.

_~~~~~TKtK~~~~~_

_Shadow's End (Eastern Terminus)_

_Shadow Desert, Hikari Lux Lucis_

_11:17 F.S., June 8, 1BSF (6AR)_

It took quite a while for them to catch up to Talis, who suddenly stopped to stare at what looked like a giant black cloud. "Talis, what is that?" Kalin asked him, pointing to the same sight.

"It can't be...not here...already?!"

Xaltis looked forward to where Talis' eyes were focused, abject shock on his face. _Heartless? Here? How can that be? _"We just found out about these stupid things; how can they be here already?!"

"Xaltis. Kalin." Talis summoned _Absolution_. "You ready to do this?"

Xaltis summoned _Penitence_, and turns to Talis. "Of course, this is what we got these for, isn't it?"

Kalin summoned his own sword, similar in design to Nensho, but sporting a blue and purple color scheme, as opposed to Nensho's red and orange. "Hello, Ensho. Will you fight alongside me today?"

"Yes, Master Knight."

"Then I guess I'm ready, too, for whatever that is."

"Well, then let's do it, shall we?"

The cloud approached much faster than before, revealing itself to be a giant cloud of Shadows and taller, more slender versions of the Shadow. The Neoshadow. Another type of Heartless that approached them was actually flying, but with no wings. How that was possible, the brothers had no idea. They had the telltale antennae of a Neoshadow, but were not quite the same, for they had armor, lances and were more humanoid. The armor was black and had an odd symbol on the front that looked like a heart with some kind of extension. There were black and yellow boots on all of the flying Heartless as well. The yellow eyes, though, were all the same.

"Those yellow eyes, they're so lifeless, Talis. It's like they have no sentience about them," Kalin commented, as this was the first time he'd seen Heartless.

"I agree; I find it quite scary..."

"Then let's take 'em out so we can stop seeing it, eh?"

"X, X, X, ready to start swinging already?"

Xaltis looked back at Talis with eyebrows raised. "Yes...that's kinda why I have my Keyblade in my hand."

"Fine, then go for it!"

"I thought you'd never say so." Xaltis let loose one heck of a battle cry then threw himself into the throng of Shadows.

"Guess I better go in too." Kalin let loose his own battle cry and jumped into battle against the Neoshadows.

"Which means that you flying ones are all mine. Hmm, kinda wish I could fly, too." Talis let loose his battle cry and headed into battle against the Sky Knights.

Kalin looked at his massive cloud of adversaries with determination in his eyes. "I don't know what you things are, but I know you're not friendly. I'm gonna kick the darkness out of all of you with help from the stars!"

The sky around the battlefield suddenly became dark, a bubble of night sky within the larger setting sun, as Kalin's eyes went completely white. "Ensho Hoshi!"

"Yes, Master Knight!" The heavenly stars shined down on Kalin as he spoke in a meditative trance.

"The light of the heavens rains down on those who threaten the safety of others. To eliminate this threat is what I've come to do." Kalin threw Ensho into the sky and it came back down like a shooting star to where he stood. He jumped back and then up to meet it, grabbing the hilt and slamming the sword blade-first into the ground. He leapt into the air and balanced on the end of the hilt with one leg. He moved his hands as if directing an orchestra and each time he brought his arms down, starlight rained from the sky to destroy Heartless. More and more motions with his arm brought more and more stars down, filling the arena with light. Finally, as the onslaught seemed to be finished, he stepped down seemingly on air and gently removed his sword from the ground. In one grand sweeping motion, Kalin spun in a circle with Ensho pointed at his enemies, releasing the light that struck the ground from the stars. "That's the end!" The remaining Heartless in his portion of the battlefield faded into darkness as the light consumed them.

Meanwhile, on Xaltis' end of the battlefield, the Shadows were far more numerous than the Neoshadows Kalin fought.

"Damn these things!" He slashed through one while another swipes at his left arm.

"Stupid Heartless!" He sliced through a third while a fourth sinks into the ground.

"Where are all of them coming from?" He lunged through another. "This is taking way too long. It's about time I use a different approach. Penny!"

"_Yeah, X?"_

"I'm sending you for a ride, OK?"

"_Sure? Where are you taking me?"_

"You'll see! I wonder if this still works. _**Effingo (latin for nine times)!**_"

Xaltis made nine clones of himself, which divided his section of the battlefield into three diamonds, with him standing at what would be the first vertex of the first diamond. "Didn't your mothers tell you crime doesn't pay?" He threw _Penitence_ at one of his clones, the one directly across from his position, and as the Keyblade spiraled through the air, it created a stream of light that mowed down all the Shadows in its path. "Yes! Pass it on!"

X-Clone #1 sent 'Penny' flying towards another of the clones on the same diamond, with the same effect. Over and over in that diamond until all of those Heartless were gone. "Haven't taken the hint yet?" X-Clone #1 passed the Keyblade over to the next diamond, where the same process occurred starting with X-Clone #4.

X-Clone #4 shouted at the end of that sequence, "Diamond complete! Passing to Seven!" X-Clone #4 passed the torch to X-Clone #7, who completed the sequence in his diamond. "Process complete! Returning Penny to X-Original!" He tossed Penitence high into the air and the Original Xaltis jumped in the air to catch it while re-absorbing all his clones.

"Ready, Penny?"

"_I think so, X! Let's do it!" _

"Time to get punished!" Xaltis threw Penitence down toward the ground and the Keyblade curved in a wide arc for one final onslaught against the Shadows. Penitence returned to hover over Xaltis' head, spinning rapidly. "Told you crime doesn't pay," he finished as the light envelops the arena.

Talis took on the Sky Knight Heartless with a bit more difficulty than his brothers. "Stupid flying Heartless. Firing all this magic is tiring me out!" While he cut down quite a bit of the Sky Knights with his mage power, there were still quite a lot of them left to destroy. As a few were destroyed, it seemed to him that more would come to take their places, lances stabbing towards him in an endless cycle. It's all he can do to dodge and fire magic at once. With one final "Thundaga!" Talis fell to one knee in exhaustion. His arms and legs are covered with light stab wounds and grazes, from hits that he took from the enemies.

"Talis!" His brothers called out to him and ran towards him from alternate directions.

"Kalin! X! They're too strong!"

Kalin reached his side first. "Nothing's too strong for us, man. Not when we work together."

Xaltis reached his brothers and puts a hand on Talis' shoulder. "Or did you forget? We're the Knight Brothers! Sworn protectors of the Crown! These Heartless are small potatoes!"

Talis rose, re-invigorated by the support of his brothers. "You're right, guys. Let's get rid of the Heartless, Knight-style!"

Talis, Kalin, and Xaltis each faced different directions and started walking slowly until they form a semi-large triangle. On the ground around them, a pattern similar to the platform at the Station of Awakening appeared, only with three tangent circles instead of seven. Each circle held a Knight at its center. Talis began to speak, "**We, the Knight brothers of the Kingdom of Hikari Lux Lucis, in order to protect the kingdom previously named and the citizens thereof..."** Talis' circle glowed as Kalin continued the speech, "**...do solemnly swear to always uphold the positions of Knights of the Royal Court, to enforce the laws set in place by those who came before..."** Kalin's circle glowed as Xaltis finished the speech, "**...and also swear to always remember the words engraved on our castle, every building, and in our hearts..."** Xaltis' circle glowed as they shouted the motto of the Kingdom. "_**Salus in Lux Lucis!"**_ All three circles were glowing incredibly brightly and the brothers were floating on level with the Heartless. Each pointed his sword (or Keyblade) in a separate direction and followed it faster than the naked eye could see to slash at the many Sky Knights. After who knows how many slashes, the brothers landed facing each other, Kalin, then Talis, and finally Xaltis, and crossed swords in the center of the glowing circles. The light emanating from all of them destroyed the five or six Heartless barely hanging on after that attack.

The sky cleared after the Limit, or rather, after the Limits destroyed all of the Heartless that came in their direction and the brothers began to celebrate, overjoyed at their victory. However, something was a little different.

"X, your robe! It's white!"

Xaltis looked down at himself. His formerly green robe was indeed now white with golden accents, and the Crest of the Royal Knights on the back was golden as well. Even the clothes underneath were now white. "Oh snap! It is! How...?" Then he looked down at his Keyblade, which also changed. "Whoa...what's this?" The Keyblade he held in his hand was now more streamlined, with sharper edges and a castle-shaped hilt.

"I don't know how I know this, but I think that this one's called _Evolution_, X. You reached what I was telling you about earlier and it didn't take long at all; you found that power that was hidden inside of you. Congratulations, big brother. Your mind has cleared somewhat clear. I'm proud of you."

"As am I, X. Just wait until we get home and we can show the girls!"

"Right! We have to get home! Hey, look!" Xaltis pointed into the distance. "Is that what I think it is?"

Just over the horizon was a lone spire, the tallest of the spires on the castle that the Knights called home.

"It is! Our castle! We're closer to home than I thought! Let's go, guys!" The three ran to their respective vehicles and rode off into the setting sun, eager to get home to their family and friends.

_~~~~~~TKtK~~~~~~_

_Talis: "Well, you did it, LoneStar! You got us home! Sure you almost killed us with Heartless, but that's OK, 'cuz I got a new Limit!"_

_Chairman: "You're lucky too, 'cuz I didn't plan it that way. And besides, your brothers got Limits too. You even have a Trinity Limit! And X has a Drive!"_

_Xaltis: "That's my __Drive__? Sweetness...Thanks, Chairman!"_

_Talis: "What?! It's his __Drive__? How come?!"_

_Chairman: "Because 1. I say so, and 2. He worked for it. X needs something to separate himself from you as a main character. It's to show his power and growth that he's been able to achieve, even in such a short time."_

_Talis: "Fine, fine, I accept. Congrats, big brother. Now, Chairman! Don't you have some things to say to your readers?"_

_Chairman: "Actually, yes I do. Thanks! Hey everyone! First off, I want to thank everyone who read Chapter 1 thand even more thanks to the reviewers. Secondly, I'm still looking for ideas for any element of this story, including for the main adventure, but especially for Limits, whether solo or in partnerships, so send me any ideas in P.M.s and I'll be sure to credit if I use them. Actually, I'll credit you whether I use them or not, because all ideas are equally important. Just keep on reading and I'll keep on writing! Love you all!"_


	3. Chapter 3: Back Home Again

_Chairman: "Here we are, Chapter 3 begins…again. Can't wait until I'm off of older chapters and on to new parts of the story."_

_Talis: "As always, Chairman LoneStar doesn't own Disney, KH, Square Enix, or any of the ideas, concepts, or characters thereof, but he does own me and my brothers!"_

_~~~~~~TKtK~~~~~~_

_Previously on TKtK…_

_Xaltis looks down at himself. His formerly green robe was indeed now white with golden accents, and the Crest of the Royal Knights on the back was golden as well. Even the clothes underneath are now white. "Oh snap! It is! How...?" Then he looks down at his Keyblade, which also changed. "Whoa...what's this?" The Keyblade he held in his hand is now more strealined, with sharper edges and a castle-shaped hilt._

"_I don't know how I know this, but I think that this one's called Evolution, X. You reached what I was telling you about earlier and it didn't take long at all; you found that power that was hidden inside of you. Congratulations, big brother. Your mind is finally clear. I'm proud of you."_

"_As am I, X. Just wait until we get home and we can show the girls!"_

"_Right! We have to get home! Hey, look!" Xaltis points into the distance. "Is that what I think it is?"_

_Just over the horizon was a lone spire, the tallest of the spires on the castle that the Knights called home._

"_It is! Our castle! We're closer to home than I thought!" Let's go, guys!" The three run to their respective vehicles and rode off into the setting sun, eager to get home to their family and friends._

_~~~~~TKtK~~~~~_

**Chapter III: Back Home Again...**

Character Introduction!

Carla S. Knight

Age: 16

Height: 5' 8.75"

Physical Appearance: dark hair (Mai Valentine-style), brown eyes, fair-skinned

Attire: pink denim jacket and pants, white undershirt, pink boots

Shania C. Knight

Age: 16

Height: 5' 9"

Physical Appearance: same as Carla (hair more reminiscent of Carly Nagisa from Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's)

Attire: same outfit as Carla, but in purple

Raina L. Hikari

Age: 19

Height: 5' 8"

Physical Appearance: brown back-length wavy hair, green eyes, fair-skinned

Attire: Royal: full-length white dress with ornate design, white shoes

Casual: white jacket, white sleeveless undershirt, white pants, white boots

Markos Hikari

Age: 45

Height: 6' 4"

Physical Appearance: jet black (graying at the roots) (Duke Devlin-style), dark-skinned, brown eyes

Attire: Training Grounds: black jeans, black shirt, and black metal bracer

Casual: same without bracer, and black jacket (Kyosuke Kiryu-style [Crash Town])

Cameron Hikari

Age: 14

Height: 5' 8"

Physical Appearance: same hair as Markos, but completely black. Otherwise exactly alike in appearance

Attire: Training: gray sleeveless t-shirt, gray jeans, gray metal bracer

Casual: gray short-sleeved oxford and same gray jeans

_~~~~~~TKtK~~~~~~_

_Main Courtyard, Arceo Citadel_

_Lusevera, Hikari Lux Lucis_

_12:05 F.M., June 8, 1BSF (6AR)_

The castle was just as beautiful as they remembered, with spires reaching seemingly to infinity, each decorated with white and baby blue floral designs, and a wide double arcade that stretched the length of the path from the entrance to the main building. Under the light of the First Moon, the castle shone with an ethereal glow, but of course, that was to be expected and was planned by the builder of the castle many generations before. Beyond the castle lay an illustrious courtyard, extending in a radius of approximately two hundred yards around, spotted with topiaries of monarchs past. In the center of the beautiful garden, there stood two statues of the most recent king and queen of Hikari Lux Lucis, Dax and Raya, the parents of the current Queen. Outside the castle courtyard on the left side, there was a wide, winding road leading to the training grounds and battle arena, where rookie knights are hard at work training and elder knights are sparring and practicing. On the right side lay the Knight workshop, where the Knight siblings kept their vehicles, weapons, and whatever else they need. Beyond the castle gates lay two roads: one to the main town, one to the Shadow Desert. And this second road is upon which the triplets returned home...together.

First there came Talis, riding up on his motorcycle, Reminiscence, with a cloud of dust flying up behind him. "I'm finally home...it's more beautiful than I remember...I wonder if anything has changed."

He rode on and his brothers came up behind him soon after, X's cloak back to its normal green color now.

"Was Arceo always this beautiful, Kalin, or is it just how long I've been away?"

"Well, we've done a little improvement since you've been gone, so it may just be that...it definitely is a beautiful sight, though."

"I can't wait to see how everything's changed since I've been gone."

"You'll be pleasantly surprised, brother, and there are some people who will be super-surprised to see you. Now come on!" Kalin took off on his hoverboard through the castle gates, followed quickly by Xaltis, deep in thought.

_My actions caused so much pain, yet so many greater things...I can't continue to berate myself over this. It's foolish...I must move on like everyone else has._

Meanwhile, behind the castle walls, the Knight sisters made their daily patrol walks through the halls of the castle Arceo. "Carla, can we spar later? This patrolling is quite monotonous."

"Shania, you know the patrols are necessary ever since...you know..."

"Yeah...I know, the death of the King and the loss of two of our brothers. The story never gets old. What I don't understand is why we haven't gone looking for them instead of just standing around! They're our brothers, for Pete's sake!"

"Shania...I know you miss Talis and Xaltis. Don't you think I do too? But we can't stay moping all the time; we've gotta move on. That's what they would want. And besides, Kalin went to look for them. If anyone could find them, it's him," she answered confidently, hiding her own feelings of worry.

"You should listen to your sister, she's always been the smarter of you two, and the more optimistic," a teasing voice called out. The pair of girls froze as they heard the rumble of a familiar motorcycle, one that only just took off on a search a couple of weeks ago, but returned with a different rider. Talis launched the bike into the air, and screeches to a halt directly before them. The sisters are too much in shock to even speak. "Hello? Anyone home?"

"I see you and I hear you, but I don't believe it...Talis?"

"Hóla, little sister, how's it going?"

"Talis!" Shania ran to him and gives him a 'kid sister' hug, jumping into his arms and letting Talis swing her around. "Where have you been, you jerk? We've been waiting for you forever!" She smacked him upside the head with a heavy hand, but her smile belied her mock anger.

"Hey! Hey! I don't get an 'Are you OK?' or a 'Is everything alright?' Gosh...you'd think I'd get more gratitude for getting our family back together..."

As soon as he finished that sentence, Kalin and Xaltis rode up behind him on their hoverboards. "Did someone say 'family'? Oh, hey, little sisters, how you doin'?"

"What...what is this? We walk around one morning, and all of a sudden, all three of our brothers are back?"

"Kalin, how did you find them so quickly?"

"It wasn't that difficult, really. It was just a matter of riding around the Shadow Desert for TWO WEEKS! Quickly? Ha, it was sheer luck that I found these two walking around out there in that heat and darkness...why is it so dark out there anyway?"

"I can answer that!" The singsong voice that answered Kalin's question was followed by the Queen of Hikari Lux Lucis and close friend of the Knight family, Raina, dressed in her royal gown. "Queen Raina at your service! About that Shadow Desert issue...it's a long story and a lot to take in. By the way, I have a new job for you, Kalin. We have a guest coming from..." Raina looks at Talis and Xaltis. "Umm...am I seeing triple? Because, from what I remember, there's only one of you, and that's you, Kalin."

The triplets circle the Queen as Talis speaks. "Such a shame..." He casts a glance at his brothers before looking back at the Queen. "So she becomes Queen and forgets her best friend?" He clutches his chest as if in pain. "I'm hurt, Rai, really hurt...after I fought this guy," as he points at Xaltis, "because he almost killed you, you forget me?"

Xaltis shoves him a little. "Hey, hey, hey! Don't bring me into this because of your little lovers' spat! As for her not remembering me, I could care less; she's not **my **girlfriend." X snickers as he makes that last comment.

Talis casts a darker look at his brother and replies, "She's **not** my girlfriend! She's my **best **friend!"

Raina steps super-close to him and whispers into his ear. "Best friend, huh? That's not what you said the night before we went after your brother, now is it, Talis?"

_I heard that! Spill, little brother._

_You've lost your mind if you think I'm mentioning anything about what she just said. I'm going to have to find a way to block you out…_

_What happened the night before you came after me, huh? Huh? You know I'm going to bug you about this until you tell me._

_Shut up! Nothing happened!_

_That's not what the Queen just said...you two were an item, weren't you?!_

_Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!_

_You two did the do...ohhh Talis, you dog, you!_

_What the...? No, hell no! You're crazy! I would never mess with the Queen that way!_

_I searched your mind...you may not have done it, but you have most definitely thought it, over and over and over again...dude, you know she wants you._

_Shut up and..._

"...get outta my head!" Talis woke out of his reverie to find five pairs of eyes staring at him, not realizing that he yelled the last bit aloud.

"Talis, are you OK, little brother?" Xaltis asked, a mischievous smirk on his face.

"Shut up, X, before you go back in the cage again," Talis responded with a more malicious look, to which Xaltis straightened up immediately.

Meanwhile, their companions watched the exchange with interest. "What do you think is going on between our brothers, ladies?" Kalin asked his two sisters.

"Who cares?! I wanna know what's going on with Talis and the Queen!" Shania squealed in delight, spying the Queen's more reserved look.

"Shania, that's none of our business...but I definitely think there's something going on; that much is obvious," Carla noted in a dry tone. "That little aside between the two of them was far too secretive, and there's no reason for that otherwise."

"So, all we have to do is find out what that is, right?"

"Sensibly, yes, but I don't want that to be the end of the story, and I doubt you two want that either, am I right, little sisters?"

"Duh!" Carla and Shania answered in unison. "Get us answers, Kalin!"

"OK, OK, I will! Yeesh!" He walked to the arguing pseudo-couple to get his instructions from the Queen, mumbling to himself. "I tell you, having little sisters is a pain in my butt...but at least the family's back together."

At the other side of Kalin's self-venting session were the arguing duo, Talis and Queen Raina. "Gimme a break, Rai, I just got home! Can I go sleep for two days?!"

"Excuse me, Talis, but you have a job to do. Did you forget your oath? You know, those couple of phrases you spoke seven years ago when you started your training?"

"Of course I didn't forget, and don't you dare call on my oath in this argument. It's because of my oath that I was gone for two weeks, remember?"

"Right, right, when you 'defended' me from your brother...whatever, stop making excuses for shirking your duties." Her voice was scathingly sarcastic as she berates him.

"Shirking my...oh, that's it. I'm going to the garage. Kalin! Talk to your Queen, I'm done here." With that, he turned around on his heel, jumps on his bike, and rode back down the stairs.

Raina spun on her own heels to come face-to-face with Kalin, who was quite confused at the heated exchange that just took place, the atmosphere having been much more playful mere seconds before. "Don't look at me, Queen Raina. I just came to find out what you wanted me to do."

"Oh, that...right, umm, go to the training grounds and see if Markos needs your help with anything. I haven't gotten the chance to go there myself since I became Queen and I'd love to hear about any rising stars, so to speak."

Kalin saluted and nodded. "Yes, ma'am! I'll do it right away!" Internally, though, Kalin was just excited to get back to the training ground to see his old friend, mentor, and sword-master extraordinaire. "Hey, X! You wanna come with me?"

"Sure, anything to get away from this mess...see you around, little sisters! Queen Raina, nice seeing you again!" Xaltis and Kalin ran off down the stairs, forgoing their hoverboards in favor of getting their blood flowing.

"Hey, Queenie?" Shania snuck up behind Raina to question her. "What's going on between you and my brother?"

"Whatever are you talking about, Nia?" Raina pretended to be totally clueless, looking anywhere but at the younger woman's face. Her voice was crisp and sharp, as she still felt rather annoyed.

"You know very well what she's talking about, Lady Raina." Carla fell into step on Raina's other side as the three women started walking down the hall. "Don't think we didn't notice that little aside you two had. Now what's up between you and our brother?"

"Again, Carla, I have no idea what you or Nia are speaking of. I was simply being discreet. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to. Good day to you two." The Queen rushed quickly away, hoping to hide the fact that her cheeks were becoming increasingly flushed.

Shania called after her. "It better not be any business in our brother's room!" She and Carla hi-fived, identical smirks upon their lips. "It's like she thinks we're stupid or something!"

"She knows we know, which is why she ran away so fast...don't worry, we'll catch them soon enough, Nia. Now how about that spar you wanted earlier?"

"Sweet! Let's go!" The twin sisters ran down the same stairs which everyone seems to leave from to head to the battle arena near the training grounds.

_Knight Garage, Knight Quarters, Arceo Citadel_

_Lusevera, Hikari Lux Lucis_

_12:27 F.M., June 8, 1BSF (6AR)_

Meanwhile, in the garage, Talis was working on cleaning his bike, a dirty rag in his hand and his jacket discarded as he lay underneath the frame of the vehicle. "It's been a while since we rode that fast, hasn't it, Remi?" He sighed wistfully as the memories flood back, thoughts on the many times he rode his motorbike. One time in particular stuck quite fiercely and lodged in the front of his mind. "That's right; I did have you then, didn't I? When I took Queen Rai out for a ride, but at that time, she was just Princess Rai. She was much nicer then and a lot more fun to be around. I wonder why she was so harsh to me earlier...it's not like I meant to disappear like that..."

"But you did, and you didn't even try to contact anyone, you jerk!"

"What?" Talis slid out from under his bike to see the Queen in the doorway, eyes narrowed yet fierce. "What do you want? Come to yell at me some more?"

"Yes, I did. First of all, I want an explanation for what the heck that was upstairs!"

"What are you talking about? First you come at me all flirty and junk, talking about the conversation we had before we left that time, and then you start yelling at me for disappearing! What was that, I ask you?" Talis rose to his feet, walking over and staring down the Queen with just as much fire in his eyes. "Explain to me why the hell you're mad! You act like it was my choice to stay gone for that long! I didn't even know where I was most of the time!"

"It doesn't matter! You were supposed to be here! Doing your job! Protecting the Kingdom!"

"Wait a second...this isn't just about me not coming back with you...you missed me. You thought I was dead and you missed me! Admit it!"

"Don't flatter yourself, little boy. You're not that special," she countered, crossing her arms.

"Really? Then why are you here?" he shot back.

"For the exact reason I stated earlier. To yell at you some more."

"Well, had your fill? Good, now get out, and leave me to my business."

"You mean, talking to your bike? You treat that thing like it was a woman or something."

"It's treated me better than any woman has, so why not? What does that have to do with anything we're talking about anyway?"

"It's just weird, Talis. It's a vehicle; it can't talk back to you."

"Well, sometimes you don't want to be talked to; you just want to be heard. Remi does that for me, so excuse me if you can't quite grasp that. Now, if you have nothing else to say, please leave. You may be my friend, but you're also the Queen, so please leave before I do something I'll regret either way."

"Fine, I'll leave, but none of that calling me back crap."

"Trust me, I won't."

"Hmph!" The Queen turned on her heel – a common occurrence this day, it seemed – and left just as quietly and quickly as she came.

"Why is she this insufferable as of late? It's like I don't even know her anymore." Talis went back to cleaning his bike. "Why does it seem like you're always the only one to understand me, Reminiscence?" Talis walked to the back of the garage and presses a hidden button, which revealed a set of hi-tech tools. "I'm gonna give you an upgrade to get my mind off of this nonsense." He picks up a tool that looked a lot like a spanner and turned the knob, making it known that it's also a blowtorch. "Time to go to work!"

_Outside the Training Dome, Arceo Citadel_

_Lusevera, Hikari Lux Lucis_

_12:27 F.M., June8, 1BSF (6AR)_

Back with the other Knight Brothers who, at the time of the argument, were racing to the training grounds, Kalin rode far ahead on his hoverboard. "You can't beat me there if you can't even catch me, X!" He sped up his hoverboard by pressing the hidden button on the paneling.

"Don't count me out just yet, Kal! I've got some surprises up my sleeve!" And under his breath, he muttered, "Or rather my _sleeves_..." He pointed his arms behind him and intoned one word, laced with power. "_Aero..._" Wind poured from both of his sleeves, propelling him to catch up with Kalin. "Oh hey, would you look at that? I caught up with you! Oh, and by the way?"

Kalin looked at him out of the side of his hair. "What, X?"

"I've got one word for you:_ Aerora_." X shot out ahead of Kalin, who stopped for a second to gather his bearings. "What just happened?"

All of a sudden, X reappeared in front of him. "You just got passed, that's what happened. Bye-bye! Aerora!" X took off again, leaving Kalin dumbfounded for the second time, dust kicking up in his face.

"What am I standing here for? Get back here!" Kalin jumped back on his hoverboard and stepped on the accelerator button, hoping to catch up with his speeding brother.

X laughs back at him. "Haha! Come and get me, Kalin!" The training ground and battle arena loomed on the horizon as Xaltis fast approaches it. "Looks like I'm getting here first." He rode his hoverboard through the open arches of the training ground and braked almost immediately once he noted what he interrupted.

A voice from out of nowhere rang out, "Next lesson, boys! Expect the unexpected! Attack the intruder!"

"What the - ? I'm not an intruder!" The knights-in-training looked hesitant to attack when they heard this. Some faces looked intrigued while others looked intimidated. After all, a hooded stranger – at least to most of them – just appeared from nowhere.

"I said, next lesson! Attack, trainees!"

The in-training knights had no choice but to obey. "Sir, yes, sir!" The first wave of about twenty or so charged Xaltis.

X muttered under his breath, "I swear, I can't cut a break. _Kuriamaindo!_" The green robe flashed white again, with the golden Crest of the Royal Knights on the back and _Knight's Evolution_ in his hand. "Can I call you Evo?"

"Actually, no, you can't, because I'm a female Keyspirit. The name's Eva. Now, I think you should turn your attention to the guys attacking us."

"I like the way you think, Eva." Xaltis took position, Keyblade held above his head, pointed out at his attackers, knees bent (which one can't really see since his cloak covered them), hood covering his face as usual, but eyes focusing on one trainee in particular, making a target in his mind. "Let's do this."

The wave of trainees that first rushed at him now gathered in a circle around him, each waiting on one another to attack the unfamiliar intruder. Finally one walked forward, a kid not much younger than him, wearing a gray sleeveless t-shirt, gray jeans, a stone cold expression on his face and holding his sword with both hands, pointed up to the sky. "Whoever you are, prepare to be taken down."

Xaltis scoffed and responded, "And who might you be, kid?"

"While it's none of your business, I'm about to lay you out on this field, so I'll tell you. The name's Cam."

"Cam? That doesn't sound so intimidating, not nearly as intimidating as who I am."

"You don't look very intimidating either, Mr. White Robe," Cam smirked. "In fact, you look about as scary as a rabbit."

"Trust me, Cam. I'm a lot scarier than I look, but if you think you can take me on, fine. Just know this." He stuck his Keyblade into the ground and removed his hood so that everyone can see his face – and by extension – his hair. "I warned you."

The other trainees now backed away a few steps, recognizing who Cam was preparing to fight against, and one of them shouted out to Cam. "You may wanna back down, Cam! He's no one you wanna mess with!"

Cam scanned the crowd of trainees and found the speaker. "Hey, Jax, I'm not scared of this guy! I don't care if his hair looks like he just crawled out of a hole!"

"Cam, you don't understand! That's..."

The voice from earlier rung out again, more firm than before. "Jax! Let young Cameron choose his battle! If he chooses to fight the man, let him fight. Only then can he learn..." The owner of the voice now stepped out from the crowd, a graying man, but tall and well built, and looked sternly at Cam. "Well, Cameron? Do you still choose to fight this stranger?"

"Yes, I do, sir. I wish to fight and take him down." Cam narrowed his eyes at Xaltis.

"Then..." The man walked to the center of the ring of trainees around Cam and Xaltis. "Fight!"

Cam let out a cry that almost shatters people's eardrums and then charged Xaltis with his sword pointed at his heart. Xaltis yawned despite the killing intent he sensed from the trainee. "Oh, look at that. The little kid wants to fight me. Let me indulge him for just a second." Xaltis held out a palm and Cam froze in mid-stride.

"What...what did you do to me?" He tried to move, but realized he could not. "Why can't I move?"

"Next lesson, never underestimate your opponent, no matter how harmless he looks." Xaltis swiveled his outstretched arm and then pushed outward from himself, sending Cam back a few feet to land in front of his friend Jax, who looked down at Cam in pity. Cam got up, dusted himself off, and charged again. Xaltis looked at him with disdain. "Still haven't learned yet? Fine, I won't even use magic. Eva?"

"Yeah, Xaltis?"

"Ready for some exercise?"

"Sure, let's do it!"

"Now to show this kid how it's really done. Bring it on, Cam!" Xaltis took his fighting stance as Cam attacked wildly. "Nice try, kid. But I'm better...much better." Xaltis deflected Cam's attack effortlessly and then delivers a sharp slash at Cam's midsection, which sends him sprawling to the ground. As the younger man lay there, Xaltis ran through some of the short fight. _Strong, but arrogant and rushed. He cannot expect to defeat anyone even moderately strong with this approach._

Cam got up slowly, wincing as he feels the wound to his torso. His eyes flashed in barely suppressed rage and he leaned on his sword. "You got lucky, stranger. That won't happen the next time we fight." Cam limped away with aid from Jax, his steps deliberate but angry.

Xaltis released himself from his Drive and dismissed Evolution, looking to the crowd of trainees. "Anyone else want some? Huh?!" The trainees looked unsure of themselves and Xaltis smirked triumphantly. "Didn't think so. What a waste of my time. Markos! I know it's been a while since you've trained good ones like my brothers and me, but the caliber of these trainees is ridiculous! I almost beat Cam there with my eyes closed. I hope he's not your best this time around, or our Kingdom's doomed."

"Well, stranger, if the trainees aren't enough of a challenge for you..." Markos pulled an odd, gun-shaped sword from his over-the-shoulder sheath. "...then try me on for size!" He swung the sword in an X-shape and then pointed it at Xaltis. "I may not be as young as these kids here, but I can still hand a Knight Brother his butt on a platter!"

"Oh, so you do remember me? Well, it hardly matters; I won't go easy on you, old man!"

"Old man, huh? I'll show you 'old man'!" Markos motioned with his hand as if to say, 'Bring it on'.

"Fine, Markos, but I've been a long way since you trained me. I've learned things you may never understand. I'm giving you one last warning. Back down...because I won't hold back like I did against Cam!"

"I would have failed you all those years ago if you even dared to hold back, Xaltis. Gimme your best shot!" Markos smiled at his former student.

Xaltis couldn't help but smile back. "Your smile's still infectious, Teacher. I'd hate to wipe it off of you when I defeat you!" He summoned _Penitence_ and _Absolution_ to his hands and pointed _Penitence_ at Markos. "And I will defeat you, trust that!"

"Then stop talking and start swinging, Xaltis! I know I didn't teach you to talk so much!"

"You're right about that!" Xaltis yelled as he threw both his Keyblades at Markos. "Double Blade Strike!" The Keyblades spun incredibly fast as they approached Markos and his waiting gunblade, who both disappeared before everyone's eyes. "What? Where'd you go, Markos?"

Markos appeared behind him. "Too slow, Xaltis!" Markos delivered a sharp slice to Xaltis' back and Xaltis was thrown to the ground.

"Ng...nice hit, Teach. Didn't see that coming, but I bet you didn't see this! _**Effingo quattuor!**_"Three clones of Xaltis surrounded Markos, and for a second, he looked surprised. But, almost right after, the look of confidence returned to his face.

"Only four, Xaltis? I'm surprised! I thought you said you weren't going easy on me!" Markos immediately stabbed through one of the clones, slid around a second one, and impaled a third.

"I can do more than four, Teacher! Check this out! _**Effingo validus!**_" Xaltis created twenty more copies of himself, sending them all to attack his former trainer. "Is twenty better?!"

"Ha! Much better, Xaltis! I thought you could do better! This is why I love training! HAHAHAHA! Xaltis! Prepare to learn why I am the master and you are the student! Lesson one: Search immediately for your opponent's weakness. Yours?" He slashed through three clones like butter. "You're far too confident!" Impaled two more on the blade with a grunt as they jumped at him. "Far too confident!" A slice through the neck of a sixth. "And these clones? They look nothing like you!"

"What are you talking about, Teach? They're exact replicas of what I look like!"

"Of your outward appearance, sure...but they're nothing like you in any way. And that's why I know..." Markos disappeared again.

"What? Not again!" Xaltis dodged around his clones which were getting cut down one by one by the teleporting Markos. "Damnit, Teach, stay in one place so I can hit you!" He stopped where he was and pointed his sleeves at the ground. "_Aeroga!_" Xaltis shot up into the air and scanned the area looking for something, anything to let him know where Markos was hiding. "Where are you?!"

Markos appeared right above him, smugly watching his former student. "Looking for someone there, Xaltis?"

"Holy...!" Xaltis flipped around in the air only to be floating face-to-face with the very sharp edge Markos' gunblade.

"So do you concede?"

The young Knight stared down the point of the blade before nodding. "Yes sir, I know when I'm beaten. I concede, Master." Xaltis dismissed his Keyblades and floated slowly to the ground, followed by Markos. "But, Master, when did you learn those moves? You never used those against us in training!"

"I learned quite a few things since your time, young one. Don't think this old dog can't learn new tricks. There's still much for anyone to learn, even at my age."

Markos and Xaltis landed on the ground and receive thunderous applause and shouts of acclaim from the trainees. They all stood in awe of the two warriors before them. Markos and Xaltis bowed to each other and then began to walk away from the trainees, but before they could get far, Markos turned around for a second. "Start sparring, boys, and I'll be back in a short while to continue your lessons."

"Sir, yes, sir!" Yells of submission came from the entire squad as they scatter to carry out the latest directive.

"So, I see you're back in town, Xaltis. How are you?"

"Master, you act as if nothing ever happened, as if the events of the past year or so were all nothing."

"In all my years in this world, I've learned two things: defend one's self, and always forgive. There's no reason to hold a grudge against someone you love for a wrong they've done you because, chances are, they've probably beaten themselves up countless times already for it."

"Well, you're definitely right about that last part. And I haven't quite finished the self-abuse either."

"And why not, Xaltis? It's all in the past. You're reformed, are you not?"

"I think so, but I'm not exactly sure of myself anymore. I was sure when I first started as a Knight. And I was sure when I turned away from the Royal Court. But now? It's like I've started all over again, but I don't know what to do this time. What am I supposed to do, Master?"

"Well, to start, how about you go greet your little brother? He's just arriving now."

"How can you tell?"

"I've been training knights in this facility for years. You think I don't know when someone enters it? Now go, and come back later so we can talk."

"I will, Master. Thank you for your words, and that fight. It was exhilarating."

"No problem, I wish I could get into action more often than that. You woke up my fighting spirit. So thank you as well."

Xaltis ran off to the entrance of the training grounds to greet his brother and Markos stopped walking to ponder the latest events. _So, all three Knights have returned to the Royal Court, eh? I wonder what the universe has in store for our Kingdom this time around. May the Heavens guide us all._

_~~~~~~TKtK~~~~~~_

_LoneStar: "For anyone who's wondering, the short name for Evolution has a short E, like in the male name Evan. And the latin spells translate to 'four-times multiply' and 'exceeding multiply'."_

_Talis: "Why the heck is Queen Rai so pissed at me? What did I do? Yeesh!"_

_LoneStar: "Don't ask me, Talis. You and I both know how difficult she is to deal with sometimes. Just give her time to get over it; I'm sure it'll smooth over soon."_

_Talis: "I hope so. I'd hate to lose my best friend over this."_

_Xaltis: "That was so fun! I got to throw around a cocky trainee and go toe-to-toe with my old trainer! Talis, he's gotten a lot stronger since we were kids. You should spar him, too!"_

_Talis: "Maybe after I get this whole thing with Rai straightened out. I don't wanna start something else before I finish one thing."_

_Xaltis: "Oh right, your girlfriend! Aww, is she mad at you?" __**smiles devilishly**_

_Talis: "Haha, very funny, X. Again, she's not my girlfriend!"_

_Xaltis: "Sure, whatever, Queen-lover!"_

_LoneStar: "Hey, hey, hey! Take the brotherly quarreling elsewhere, got that, you two? I've got readers to address! To Vampire Roxas: I made Talis nicer, see?! LOL any other suggestions, though? To hajikurazaki: I'm working on the verb tense issues. I'm not perfect, but I'm working on it. Thanks for pointing it out though. BTW, I love the character of Haji in Krystahl Kingdom. There's definitely a lot more to him than meets the eye. As more reviews come in, I'll address them, but for now, I bid you all adieu until next chapter. Salus in Lux Lucis, everyone!"_

_LoneStar: "I hope you two are still out there somewhere, and I apologize for being gone for so long, it's been one hell of a few years. I hope you're well."_


	4. Chapter 4: The Knights' Quest

_LoneStar: "Another day, another chapter to knock out and rewrite."_

_Talis: "You've really taken on a task, rewriting this story as you have, LoneStar."_

_LoneStar: "I'm well aware of the task I've undergone, but it's worth it. I have to stop procrastinating when it comes to these things."_

_Xaltis: "No kidding, but I have no doubt you can do it."_

_LoneStar: "Thanks for the vote of confidence, you two. Now let's get to it, shall we?"_

_Talis: "That's the spirit! Now, while LoneStar gets pumped over yet another chapter down, I'll just remind you all that he doesn't own Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix, or anything so related, except for myself, his other OCs, and his originally designed Keyblades and swords, of course."_

_~~~~~~TKtK~~~~~~_

_Previously, in TKtK…_

"_Sir, yes, sir!" Yells of submission __came from the entire squad__ as they scattered to carry out the latest directive._

"_So, I see you're back in town, Xaltis. How are you?"_

"_Master, you act as if nothing ever happened, as if the events of the past year or so were all nothing."_

"_In all my years in this world, I've learned two things: defend yourself, and always forgive. There's no reason to hold a grudge against someone you love for a wrong they've done you because, chances are, they've probably beaten themselves up countless times already for it."_

"_Well, you're definitely right about that last part. And I haven't quite finished the self-abuse either."_

"_And why not, Xaltis? It's all in the past. You're reformed, are you not?"_

"_I think so, but I'm not exactly sure of myself anymore. I was sure when I first started as a Knight. And I was sure when I turned away from the Royal Court. But now? It's like I've started all over again, but I don't know what to do this time. What am I supposed to do, Master?"_

"_Well, to start, how about you go greet your little brother? He's just arriving now."_

"_How can you tell?"_

"_I've been training knights in this facility for years. You think I don't know when someone enters it? Now go, and come back later so we can talk."_

"_I will, Master. Thank you for your words, and that fight. It was exhilarating."_

"_No problem, I wish I could get into action more often than that. You woke up my fighting spirit. So thank you as well."_

_Xaltis ran off to the entrance of the training grounds to greet his brother while Markos stopped walking to __ponder the latest events._ '_So, all three Knights have returned to the Royal Court, eh? I wonder what the universe has in store for our Kingdom this time around. May the Heavens guide us all.'_

**Chapter IV: The Knights' Quest**

_Bellatolucis Training Dome_

_Lusevera, Hikari Lux Lucis_

_12:43 F.M., June 8, 1BSF (6AR)_

Xaltis, under the advice of his Master, was still heading towards the entrance of the training arena, searching for his little brother. "Kalin!" he called out. "You there?"

Kalin rode into the arena on his hoverboard, a displeased scowl crossing his features. "How the hell did you get here before me? And how did you do that?"

An innocent smirk curled the lips of the older triplet and, with a smug voice, he replied, "What could you possibly be talking about, Kal? I just beat you here, fair and square."

"Don't pull that with me, X! What was that spell you did? I know I felt wind!"

"Wind? Ohhhh, you mean like this? _Aero!_" He pointed his sleeves at the ground as he yelled the common spell and flew up into the air again. He waved down at Kalin. "Hi, Kalin!"

"Man, get down from there! We have a job to do, remember?!"

"You can't make me, because I can fly and you can't!"

"I don't need to fly, because I've got **this**!" Kalin drew Ensho and pointed it in the air in the direction. "Ensho Hakai Yoso, Destruction – Element Ice!" Kalin started shooting ice shards at Xaltis, who dodged them with expert skill, almost as if he were born in the sky.

"Hey! Stop shooting ice at me!" Xaltis kept dodging the shards, but with increasing difficulty, as Kalin started shooting them faster. "Seriously, Kalin? Stop – shooting – ice – at – me – ow!" He fell to the ground after being hit by a shard he didn't see. He made a face at his little brother, then brushed his hair out of his eyes. "Ng...that one hurt. Now I'm mad!" Xaltis summoned _Absolution_ and pointed it at Kalin. "I'm gonna beat you down for that!"

"Xaltis! Didn't I tell you to come back to talk to me after you found your brother?!" Markos walked over calmly with a slight frown on his face, but there was no mistaking the mirth in his eyes. "Anyway, no need to apologize. I just came to tell you that..." Markos stopped suddenly and looked up into the moonlit sky, seemingly searching for something amongst the dark clouds. "...the door has been opened."

Both brothers looked at their former teacher with the same amount of confusion. "Door, Master?" Xaltis is the first to respond.

"What door, Master Markos?"

"Oh, I fear I have been unclear with you, and this is rather unexpected as well. I'd rather do this explanation with your brother involved, so..." Markos clapped once and the trio disappeared from the arena in a flash of light.

_Knight Garage, Knight Quarters, Arceo Citadel  
Lusevera, Hikari Lux Lucis_

_12:45 F.M., June 8, 1BSF (6AR)_

Another clap sounded in open air outside the brothers' garage and the three men reappeared on the lawn. "I believe your brother would be in here, correct?"

"More tricks, Master? You have got to teach me that one!"

"Later, Xaltis. Right now, we have important things to discuss." Markos walked forward to the door and leaned into the doorway. "Talis! Are you in here?"

"Come on in, Master! I'm just working on the bike again!"

Markos walked into the garage, followed by Xaltis and Kalin, who still wore their bewildered looks, both awed at the display of magic their Master just performed and confused as to his reticence.

"OK, Master, why do my brothers look like they just got their minds blown?"

"Because I told them something they didn't understand. Now that you're all here, I can tell you. Now I told your brothers that the door has been opened. They don't understand. Do you?"

"I don't think so...what 'door' is it that you happen to be referring to, Master?"

"You all have a lot to learn yet, but first, let's get comfortable. Do you have chairs in here?"

"Yeah, in the next room. Follow me."

The four warriors walked into the next room, led by Talis, and each took a seat, getting more comfortable on the soft chairs the Knights keep in the garage. "OK, now that we're all here and comfortable, what did you want to tell us, Master?"

Markos began his tale, his voice low and wizened. The brothers leaned forward in their seats, paying rapt attention to the man as he spoke. "I guess I do need to explain myself. The best place to begin, of course, is at the beginning. Long ago, the worlds in the universe were autonomous and completely separate. No creature or human could pass between worlds in any way. However, due to events unforeseen, the worlds soon became connected by paths known as Corridors of Darkness."

"May I interrupt you for a second, Master?"

"Yes, Kalin?"

"Are you saying that there are worlds outside of this one?"

"Yes, that is indeed what I'm saying."

"OK, just making sure I heard you correctly. Please continue."

"Thank you. Now, as I was saying, due to unforeseen events, the worlds became connected by darkness, and dark beings known as Heartless began to use these pathways to steal the hearts of man and beast, all in the process in searching for the ultimate power source in each world, the world's heart."

The eyes of Xaltis and Talis hardened in understanding as they remembered the short lecture thy received at the Station of Awakening the night before. The eldest brother spoke up, asking, "Worlds have hearts? Does that mean that our world, Hikari Lux Lucis, has a heart as well?"

"Yes, Xaltis, this world has a heart as well, and that is what the Heartless are after."

"I think it's my turn to ask a question. Why do Heartless seek the heart of the world? Is there some ultimate purpose?"

"Glad you asked, Talis, for that is where the focus of my tale will turn. As the Heartless feed on the hearts of others, their numbers grow immensely. However, for the most part, they are mindless creatures. They are instinctive creatures, their sole purpose being to look for hearts in order to increase their ranks and strength."

"So what's to stop them from taking everyone's hearts?!"

"If you let me finish my explanation, Xaltis, you'll know the complete story on Heartless. Now, all the Heartless in the universe seek to steal the heart of a world in order to turn its people into Heartless as well and to stay 'alive,' in a sense. When Heartless steal the world's heart, the heart itself goes to a place known as Kingdom Hearts. No one really knows what Kingdom Hearts is, as no one has been able to even stand before it in centuries, but what is known is that 'The Heart of All Worlds,' as it is sometimes known, is completely pure light. No darkness can stand before it and survive. When a world is lost, any survivors of the Heartless assault are sent to another world, one that lies in between the light and the darkness. Hikari Lux Lucis, despite its name, is one of these Crossworlds, as they are called. That's why our population grows faster than expected, sadly. The worlds fall apart and leave survivors of such events on Crossworlds, lost and confused. The rest of the worlds are transported to a place unnamed by anyone I know, and I'm not quite sure what resides there..."

"So, that explains what the Hikari Lux Lucis Transition Center is for! Makes sense now...but then, Master, how do we get the worlds back?"

Master Markos turned to Talis wearing that frown that the triplets knew all too well; he was thinking...a lot. "When you say 'get the worlds back', what do you mean by that, Talis?"

"What else could I mean? I mean, making sure that the worlds return to their natural state, with all their people returned from being Heartless? Is that possible? How can we do it?"

"I see you have your mind made up...and you two?" Markos looked at Kalin and Xaltis.

"I see that as kind of our destiny, Master, seeing as how we have these and everything." Xaltis and Talis summoned their Keyblades. "At least, that's what the Voice told us."

Markos could almost hear the capitals in that statement so he asks, "What voice, Xaltis?" The older man's voice was full of interest at the statement Xaltis made.

"The voice that spoke to Talis and me when we were on that platform...what was it called again?"

"The Station of Awakening, I think it was."

"Right. Thanks, Talis. As I was saying, at the Station of Awakening, there was a Voice that told us that we have to do this because we were chosen by the Keyblades. There's no choice in the matter for Talis and I, but I want to do it, anyway. To make up for all I've done, you know?"

"This voice you heard, what did it sound like? Was it male or female? Was the voice rough or gentle? Can you describe it for me? Either of you?"

"Well, it was definitely a woman's voice..."

"Gentle, like a mother guiding her child..."

"Whoever the Voice belonged to knew we would be there and wanted nothing more than to help us..."

The frown deepened on the swordmaster's face as he responded, "This is very interesting...if I remember things correctly from my studies, what you two experienced is known as a Dive into the Heart."

"Can you explain that, please? In a way that the one person in the room that has no idea what you all are talking about can understand?" Kalin was starting to look quite perturbed at seemingly being left out of the conversation with all the terms that he didn't understand and events he hadn't experienced.

"Of course, Kalin. First, I want Talis and Xaltis to explain their first experience in a Dive."

"Well, it was like this. Talis and I fought each other hard at the Citadel, matching blow for blow. I couldn't believe how strong he'd gotten; I was proud of him. And as I started to become more and more proud of him, I remembered where it all started and thought about how crazy I was being. I looked at Talis and he was just so powerful...I didn't know whether I could beat him anymore."

"I saw that look in your eyes, brother, and that's why I paused, if you remember that, too. I saw the remembrance in your eyes and I knew that I had a chance to save you. That's all I could think about at that point, was how to save my big brother from what he'd become. So I thought, and thought, and thought..."

"As the memories of my past came flooding back, I started to remember the path of destruction that led me to where I was at that point, and that nearly drove me to tears. To think, I could have been crying in the middle of a heated battle. Me! Xaltis! Crying! I figured the only way to pay for what I had done to all of you, to my family, friends, and homeland was for Talis to defeat me in battle, and for me to die honorably. So I continued to fight, silently hoping he was still mad enough to strike me down."

"Thankfully, you weren't so lucky. At that time, I had already forgiven you. Right before I made the final strike, a voice came to me...now that I think about it, that voice sounded the same as the one in the Station...I wonder if she knew all that would happen. Anyway, the voice told me that **'there is a choice to be made. You can save your brother, but only if you truly wish it, deep in your heart. For your hearts are connected, as comrades and as brothers. There is no changing that. Do you wish to save your brother, Talis?'** I answered, 'Yes I do, so very much; at this point, nothing matters more.' The voice returned and told me **'Make your brother accept the light and he will be saved.'** The word 'light' made me understand. Xaltis' heart was full of darkness, sure, but it wasn't consumed, which meant there was still good in him, light that needed to be augmented. That's where the Quintessence came in."

"And that's when Talis brought me back. By defeating me with light instead of with simple swordsmanship, he allowed me to see that I didn't have to die out there. He made a way out for me. When the Quintessence Limit was over, he asked me, in a voice not entirely his own, 'Do you wish to return home?' Of course I answered, 'Yes, but how do I face everyone I hurt?' Talis told me 'Just trust me, brother, and we'll return together.' That's when he held out his hand. Once I grabbed his hand, everything went dark, as if I just got knocked out."

"That happened to me, too! I thought it was some kind of adverse reaction to the amount of darkness in the area. Now I know different."

"Anyway, when I woke up, a Voice called out to me, and gave me a choice. Now that I think about it, it was the same voice as in the Dive, you called it? It said, **'Xaltis Knight, you now have a rough road of penitence ahead of you for your actions. Betrayal is grounds for destruction. However, your family seems to believe otherwise, so you are presented with a choice. You can face the road of penitence alone, without returning home. Or you can return home to face your family and friends.'** Knowing that there's always a catch, I asked 'What's the rub?', to which the voice responded, as if talking to others, **'This one has got a brain; I like that.'** and then back to me, the voice said, **'There will be a task ahead of you both upon your return home, a task that will take you further than you've ever been, but you need to be ready to face it nonetheless. Evil is coming, and shadows will fall, young Knight.'**"

"Can I stop you for a second, X?"

"Sure, T, what's up?"

"Where was I when all this happened?"

"I don't know...asleep, I guess? I couldn't really see anything, so I have no idea. But I didn't feel your presence around either, so I don't know if you were even there at that point. Anyway, after thinking about it for all of five seconds, I decided, obviously, to come home and face everyone, regardless of what the result would be. I had to face the consequences for my actions. The Voice I heard, in hindsight, sounded quite pleased that I made that decision, which I'm glad for. After that, however, I just fell asleep again, for quite a while."

"I suppose that's where my story begins again. When I...woke up, I guess, I was in a dark room with one door in front of me. Something just told me to walk through it, and when I did, I saw so many of my memories, from the beginning of training all the way to my fight against X at the Citadel, in little windows along a long hallway. It seemed like the hallway would go on forever until I reached some stairs, glowing stairs. As I walked up, a voice called out to me; this time, it sounded like you, X, just calling my name, waiting for me to find you. I started running at that point, because I wasn't about to lose my brother again, but when I reached the top of the staircase, no one was there, just a door. Another door separating me from my brother, and I wasn't having that. I ran through it, and was struck by a blinding light as soon as I passed through the doorway; I couldn't help but close my eyes. When I opened my eyes and adjusted to the sunlight, I couldn't help but be surprised. Sunlight! There had to be a catch, especially since when I looked around, the place looked exactly like the Shadow Desert; never would've ended up back there without Xaltis, or so I thought."

Just when Talis was getting deeper into his story, a frantic knock came at the door of the garage, followed by a familiar pink-wearing Knight sibling.

"Guys! You gotta come quick! There're shooting stars!" Before any of the men in the room could respond to Carla's rushed summon, she ran back out of the room.

"Is she really calling us out there for some stars?" Xaltis' voice came out in an exasperated sigh. "I want to finish the story!"

"You'd better go, you three." Markos stood as he advised the Knight triplets. With a knowing smile, he added, "You never know what you might overlook."

"Master?" Kalin tentatively approached Markos with his question.

"Yes, Kalin?"

"Why are you so cryptic all the time?"

"It's simple; I know how smart you three are. You always end up figuring out what I mean...and besides, can't keep up with the enigmatic teacher schtick if I'm straightforward, now can I?" With a wink and his trademark grin, Markos disappeared from the room in a flash of light, leaving the Knight triplets confused and disoriented.

"Well," Talis blinked then pointed his thumb toward the door, "you heard the master, guys; let's go check out what Carla was talking about, huh?" Talis made his way out of the door to see why his sister raised such a fuss.

"Wait up, man!" Kalin and Xaltis followed after him almost immediately, unaware of the dark presence that watched their whole conversation.

The person, clad in only black, their face covered by a black hood, stepped out of the shadow of the corner. "Something I can use to my advantage...an interesting bunch, these three, now that I see them together, especially the blue-haired one...I must tell the master..." The dark figure then faded into a Corridor of Darkness.

_~~~~~~TKtK~~~~~~_

_Castle Gates, Arceo Citadel  
Lusevera, Hikari Lux Lucis_

_12:57 F.M., June 8, 1BSF (6AR)_

"Carla!" Talis reached the front of the castle only to find his sister just outside the gates staring up into the sky. "Carla!" He moved closer to her side, attempting to reach her through her seemingly entranced state. "Why'd you run off like that?"

She simply grabbed his face and pointed it towards the sky, her face darkened somewhat. "Look."

Talis allowed her to move his face up and observed the sky with her, somewhat surprised but not really. "So there are shooting stars…this isn't something new?" He turned to his sister, his face scrunched in confusion. "What's the big deal, sis?"

While the pair of siblings stood confused, Markos appeared, as he often did, seemingly from nowhere. His mouth was set in a thin line but his eyes were fierce. "This is worrisome," he muttered to himself before turning to Talis, "you know what it is, unless you weren't listening to my story..."

The young man's face was stricken with horror and fear when he turned back to face his teacher. "You mean to say these shooting stars are...? ...more worlds are being destroyed?!"

Kalin and Xaltis finally caught up behind them, just in time to hear Talis' exclamation. "Did you just say...?" "More destroyed worlds?!"

Carla looked around at them all, confused since she hadn't been around to hear the explanation in the Garage. "What's this about destroyed worlds?! Those – " she pointed to the sky, "those beautiful shooting stars are dying worlds? Worlds can die?"

Markos nodded, his face unchanged. "Indeed they are, but in fact, I don't remember the last time I've seen this many at once." The older man scratched his chin, his mind distracted. "This is worrisome – wait, what was that?!"

His exclamation made the teenagers jump in surprise. "What was what, Master?"

Markos pointed in the direction of the Shadow Desert. "I know you've only recently returned but there's something you all need to attend to out there. Go...go there now, the three of you are needed out there immediately. I must talk to the Queen about this. Carla, go find your sister and bring her to the Throne Room."

With a "Yes sir!", Carla saluted, nodded firmly and headed back in the direction of the castle to search for the fifth Knight sibling. As Markos turned to face the three Knight brothers yet again, he sighed, almost sadly. "It seems your quest has begun, boys. Now go to the Shadow Desert and once there, you'll know what to do. We'll be waiting in the Throne Room when you get back."

Kalin smirked in his older brother's direction. "Xaltis, you wanna ride your board or what?"

Xaltis gave a quick smile, "You know it. What are we waiting for?"

Talis grinned as well, "Then, let's get out of here, you two; we've got a job to do."

"You know it!" Kalin, Xaltis and Talis give a triple high-five and close their eyes. _**"Kaiso." "Takuetsu." "Shogeki." **_ Talis' trademark bike appeared in front of him in a flash of light as Kalin's and Xaltis' hoverboards appeared in their hands. "Time to go!" Talis yelled then straddled his bike and revved the engine, speeding off into the first moon's light, followed by Kalin and Xaltis on their hoverboards.

Left in the dust was their teacher, Markos. As he turned to face the palace of Hikari Lux Lucis, a gravelly voice penetrated his senses. "May I come into Hikari Lux Lucis, Markos? You know I need your permission."

Markos' consciousness moved to his own mind platform, even as his body simply appeared deeply in thought. A figure, shrouded in darkness, waited on the other side of the platform for him. "What do _you_ want here? And how are you even still around?"

"That's not important. Let's just say I've got some unfinished business. Just grant me permission to enter your world; I have a different mission this time."

"If I grant you permission to enter my world, you mustn't take a single heart. If you do, I'll kill you myself."

"I'm hurt, Markos, I thought I was your friend." If Markos could see the other person's face, he had a feeling he would see a teasing smile.

"Don't screw with me, I know what you're capable of and I won't let you harm anyone. Promise me that things are different this time, and I'll grant you entry."

"Fine..." Resignation was the most evident emotion in the other person's voice. "I promise that I won't harm anyone once I enter your world."

"Get in, do what you have to do, and get out, got it...old friend?"

"Of course, Markos, of course. You know I don't waste time."

_~~~~~~TKtK~~~~~~_

_Talis: "Oooh, ooh, I know who that is! It's- __**Kalin and Xaltis jump him so he won't spoil the secret**_

_LoneStar: "Thank you very much, smarter Knight brothers. He almost ruined my question for the readers. Special mention to anyone who can correctly guess the identity of the voice speaking to Markos at the end of the chapter. And in case this question is raised upon reading, no, the two dark figures in this chapter are not the same person."_

_Kalin: "Sorry about Talis, LoneStar, he's a little antsy lately and no one knows why..."_

_Xaltis: "We took good care of him though...hehehe..." __**points to a tied up Talis with tape over his mouth**_

_LoneStar: "Geez...he needs that much restraint? Thanks, guys."_

_Kalin: "No problem, LoneStar. Hey, when are you showing up in this story of ours?"_

_LoneStar: "I haven't even decided if I will yet! Don't ruin it!"_

_Xaltis: "Am I gonna have to tie him up too?"_

_LoneStar: "That won't be necessary, X, it's fine. To the readers, again, sorry for such a long wait for this chapter. I really wanted to get it out sooner but school got in the way. Thanks for being patient. Salus in Lux Lucis!" =) _


	5. Chapter 5: The Darkness Within

_LoneStar: "Before you all delve into reading this chapter, it'll make little to no sense unless you read Chapters 18-21 of Krystahl Kingdom Crossover Saga by user hajikurazaki19. You can find the story under my Favorites at the bottom of my profile page. Thanks! However, for those who may not wish to start a new story so soon, I'll include excerpts from there that are related to this story as I usually do at the beginning of a chapter. By the way, Kalin, is Talis still tied up?"_

_Kalin: "I think so. He's pretty miffed, so I didn't wanna let him go and then he starts attacking us."_

_LoneStar: "How'd you keep him tied up all this time anyway?"_

_Kalin: "Special rope...that's all I gotta say. Don't know where it came from, but it works."_

_LoneStar: "..."_

_Kalin: "Anyway, LoneStar doesn't own Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix, Disney, or any of its affiliates. He also doesn't own Roxel, Soriku, Asmuth, Haji, the Births, or the excerpts from Krystahl Kingdom. They belong to hajikurazaki19, another Kingdom Hearts fanfic writer. The Knights, the Hikaris, and the citizens of Hikari Lux Lucis belong to him, though."_

_~~~~~~TKtK~~~~~~~_

_Previously in Hikari Lux Lucis…_

_Talis nodded and waited. It wasn't long before three figures rolled over a sand dune. They looked exhausted. Talis ran to them, first recognizing that they were human, then recognizing that they were no threat._

"_Hey," Talis said, shaking Soriku. "Are you okay?"_

_Kalin smirked, then hopped off the motorbike. "Talking to the girl first, are we?"_

"_Shut up."_

_Kalin brushed his dark brown hair back. Sweat clung to his forehead. He wiped it then shook Asmuth and Roxel. "Hey, are you two okay?"_

_Talis picked Soriku up. "I think they might be dehydrated. There's no telling how long they've been out here."_

_Kalin hoisted Roxel into a sidecar that had folded out as he pushed a button in the control panel He pushed Asmuth in the sidecar as well. "…we should probably get them to safety."_

_Talis nodded, still carrying Soriku. He was strong and his muscles flexed easily under Soriku's weight. He was a seasoned swordsman after all. He's has to deal with a lot more than an unconscious hirl who barely weighed a pound._

_~~~~~TKtK~~~~~_

_Xaltis dismissed Eva. He folded his hands and cracked his knuckles. "Let's do this fairly…Aeroga."_

_A sudden and overpowering wind blasted from underneath Xaltis' sleeves. It was almost a tornado that pushed Asmuth back with ease. Asmuth dug his fingers in to the dirt, bu the wind pushed him farther away. He thought frantically. He couldn't cast any kind of spell now, it would just bounce off the raging wind wall._

_Asmuth opened his mouth and roared as loud as he could. "Magnera!"_

_Xaltis, though he tried to resist was pulled closer to the dark orb that hovered just above Asmith's head. His strength was draining, so he let Aeroga dissipate and flew towards the magnetic prison. As soon as his opponent was close enough, Asmuth drew up the last of his strength and brought down a thin spire of lightning. It zapped Xaltis with a loud crackle of electricity. _

_Xaltis fell to his knees. That last bit of intricate spell weaving was clever. He had never thought of using magic that way. One spell distracting from another. It was flawless. It seemed that he was facing an enemy that had been studying for years. And it slowly dawned on him with a dead beat silence. Asmuth was actually good…_

_~~~~~TKtK~~~~~_

_A young woman, the Queen of Hikari Lux Lucis, stomped her foot. The ornate white dress she wore seemed to flutter with her shock and anger. "War? What do you mean, war?"_

_Asmuth bowed respectfully. He was accompanied by Roxel and Soriku, who also bowed to show their respect. He had just been fighting with Queen Raina not that long ago, so he could understand her overreaction. But war was not a word used lightly in Hikari Lux Lucis. That usually meant trouble._

"_What makes you so sure that a war is coming?" Kalin asked, his brothers on either side. They, too, looked put off by their actions._

_Xaltis then stepped up. "War is not a word we like to use unless there is solid proof."_

_~~~~~TKtK~~~~~_

"_By the way," Xaltis added. "How sure are you that a war is actually coming?"_

_Asmuth coughed. "Pretty sure. I think it's after one of us."_

"_It?"_

_Asmuth nodded. "Births. They are some kind of Brain Heartless. At least that's what Haji said. They are smart. Very smart. And they know how to strategize. It's wise to just kill them and not wait."_

_~~~~~TKtK~~~~~_

_The Births ate the barrier clean off. The swirling mass of the The Unknown World could be seen from the ground of Hikari Lux Lucis. The guards of the training grounds woke Markos. All the warriors and every able-bodied civilian slept on the training grounds. They had been camping for days, resting enough so they could fight when the time arose. _

_Soon, the largest creature to ever exist showed upon the horizon. The trainees and the civilians whimpered. The size of this Birth was so indescribable, many of the trainees couldn't hold it together. They were instantly taken by the whim of the Birth and changed, losing their minds._

_Sadly, they had to be slain as soon as their transformations into Births were complete. Talis, Kalin, and Xaltis stood at the forefront, ready._

_~~~~~TKtK~~~~~_

_Talis landed on Xaltis' back, and drove Knight's Absolution into the small of his back, tearing the smoke like wings from his body. The wings flapped away. The wings, themselves, were Births, and they faded away as Sora ripped through them. He orbited around the falling body of The Leviathan, shredding it into barely recognized pieces._

_As they fell, Talis hugged his brother close. "Xaltis!"_

_Xaltis didn't move. Kalin used his magic to catch his brothers before they crashed into the earth. He lowered them gently, rocking them back and forth as he rocked Asmuth. Sora spread his arms wide, casting the remainder of his immense magic reserve to destroy the Leviathan forever. The whole world was consumed in light. The curdling shriek of the Leviathan echoed across the skies, killing any Births that had survived the war, and restoring the citizens of Hikari Lux Lucis to their former glory. It reached for Xaltis is a last attempt to keep his mind, but it relinquished it as well._

_~~~~~TKtK~~~~~_

Chapter V: The Darkness Within

_Station of Awakening  
Dive into the Heart  
Time Immaterial_

Each of the three smaller platforms was shrouded in darkness, which caused Xaltis to start doubting himself once more. He shook his head, recalling the events that led him here once more. Being taken over by the hive mind of the Births, fighting his family and taking control of Talis' mind, always he was on the wrong side. Could he ever escape his own darkness?

"Feeling sorry for yourself solves nothing, only adds to the sorrow..."

"He's right, you know. We haven't given up on you, but it seems you've given up on yourself. That's not the X I chose to be my Wielder!"

"Penitence? Absolution? Is that you? How are you talking to me?"

"We're right here, idiot. Focus."

Xaltis looked around the darkened platform and focused on the three that were away from him. The only visible light was emanating from a ring around the edge of his own platform, scattered with the pattern of the Crest of the Royal Knights in white. It grew brighter as he focused, shining over to the other three to reveal figures, but they were still not clear. When he looked back down at the platform, he noted that even his own face was missing, which surprised him greatly. "Why – where's my face? Where's anyone's face?"

"Your platform's been shattered, X. Destroyed by the darkness that has so often consumed you."

"Your heart, as your judgment was, is clouded. Shrouded by the darkness."

"So your platform does not respond to your presence as it should because, like the complete you, it's not there."

"What do you mean, the complete me? Are you saying that I'm a Nobody or something because that would make no sense!"

A hand suddenly smacked Xaltis across the face, the force of which dropped him to the ground. He turned his head after cracking his neck from the force of the blow. Once his eyes came to rest on the person before him he was transfixed by the vision. A pale girl with piercing jade green eyes and jet black hair stood before him, clothed in a black and blue striped sleeveless shirt and black pants. Around her neck is a chain with a charm in the shape of the Knights' Crest. Black knee-high boots completed the ensemble and a scowl crossed her lips while her eyes were filled with disdain and annoyance. "Get up and stop gawking, Keyboy; I'm not the day's entertainment."

"Are you..." Xaltis got up and rubbed his jaw. "Your voice sounds familiar…Eva?"

"Took you long enough to be able to see me, you damn fool! Here I am, choosing you to be my Wielder, and you're just constantly beating yourself up over nothing! Shoot! You're worse than Riku was...and don't even get me started on how bad he was with the self-abuse...why do I always pick the emo ones?"

"That's enough, Eva, give the boy a chance to collect himself. It's not every day that someone opens their eyes to behold the spirits of their weapons, now, is it?"

Xaltis turned to his left to find the source of this second voice: a tall man with a shiny bald head, wearing a black tuxedo, white shirt, and bowtie, reminiscent of James Bond...that is, if Xaltis knew who James Bond is. His face was rough and he had scars over his eyes in the shape of X's, but his smile was soft and inviting.

"And you're..."

"As you know me, _Knight's Absolution_, at your service, young Wielder." He bowed as he greeted Xaltis. "I feared you would never come to know what we looked like."

"OK..." He pointed to Eva. "So you're _Knight's Evolution_..." Then to Absolution. "And you're _Knight's Absolution_, right?"

"Duh Keyboy, we just told you that...geez, what is with Keyblade Wielders and being dense?" Eva rolled her eyes, her apparent annoyance only growing.

"So, where's Penny?"

"Right here, mopey." Penny, of course, being the nickname for the Keyblade known as K_night's Penitence_, the Keyblade Xaltis feels most attached to, even for the short time he'd been able to call upon the celestial weapons. Her kind voice called that statement out to him from behind and he turned around immediately to face her, an older (or so he believed) dark-haired (with white and gray highlights) girl with a white flared blouse and knee-length black skirt and black and white checkered boots on. Her hair was held up in a ponytail by a pin that had the Crest of the Knights on the end of it. She had the lightest gray eyes, so light they were almost silver, full of hope, happiness, and at this moment, worry as she held her own face in her right hand.

"Nice to finally meet you in person, Pen—oomph!"

Penny floated over from her own platform and now held Xaltis' face in her hands, scanning it for heaven knows what. X attempted to turn his eyes towards his other Keyspirits in confusion, but they both shrugged back at him, amused at their fellow Keyspirit's reaction to their Wielder.

"You don't look so evil...so why is darkness so strong in your heart? Could it be that you're the one the Elders spoke of?"

"Elders? Could you explain a little further, Penny?"

"I think I can shed some light on this, at least if my memory does not fail me. You see, we Keyblades are not just weapons, but are powerful spirits, made corporeal by the weapons Wielders hold in their hands. The Elders, the oldest of us Keyspirits, are also the six most wise of ancient beings. No one knows just how old they are, but everyone knows their weapon forms. If you've heard of the Kingdom Key, Way to the Dawn, Oathkeeper, Oblivion, Ultima, or D, you've heard of an Elder. Although, when Dawn first told me she was an Elder, I was shocked; there's no way she could be that old and be so..."

"Get back to the story, you lovesick bald guy!"

"Oh hush up, Eva...anyway, the Elders spoke to us of a Wielder who would be without much natural darkness in his heart, but easily susceptible to it. The further he would try to run from it, the faster it would engulf him. However, the prophecy stated that _'the Knight of Shadow will aid the worlds when Shadow Falls'_. I now believe, as I think Penny does as well, that you are that Knight of Shadow, Xaltis, and so I, for one, consider it an honor to fight at your side, young Xaltis."

"So what, my brothers and I are supposed to save the universe or something? Like Sora did so long ago? If he closed the door to Kingdom Hearts, why have the Heartless returned?"

"Young Xaltis, so strong, yet so naïve. The Keyblade Master is only so strong; Kingdom Hearts is that much stronger. Ansem the Wise tried to decode the heart; he fell into the Realm of Darkness for it. Xehanort, a former Keyblade Master, fell to darkness trying to control it and engulfed another Wielder, Terra. The resulting entity, who Sora knew as Xehanort, gave himself up to darkness and split into a Heartless and Nobody, Ansem, Seeker of Darkness and Xemnas, Leader of Organization XIII. Those entities were the driving forces behind Sora's early adventures as a teenager to close Kingdom Hearts. As they all learned, and as you should know quite well, the heart is unpredictable, impossible to control or keep tabs on, let alone the Heart of All Worlds. Xaltis, imagine this: a place that is filled with every desire of every heart that ever walked your homeworld. Now multiply that by the millions of worlds in the multiverse. Then concentrate all that energy into a single entity. THAT, my master, is Kingdom Hearts."

"So...so Sora failed? Is that what you're saying?" Xaltis sat on the platform, defeated, Penny having long since released his face.

"No, you...Xaltis, weren't you paying attention? It's _impossible_ to keep Kingdom Hearts sealed forever; the constant efflux of power is far too much to be contained. Recall, as Baldy told you, it is literally the Heart of All Worlds. It is where all begins and all ends. Keyblade Masters have been "sealing" Kingdom Hearts for years, hundreds upon hundreds of years, hoping that it would be the last time. But what none of them, except for probably Sora, realized is that as long as people continue to exist, Kingdom Hearts will exist...and as long as Kingdom Hearts exists, Heartless will exist. Do you understand now, smart guy?" Eva's ever-present scowl grew and her eyes narrowed at her Wielder.

"I...I think so...I suppose it'd be too simple if we could just go destroy Kingdom Hearts, though, wouldn't it?"

"Sadly, you're correct, young one. Attempting to destroy Kingdom Hearts – even if you did succeed – would bring about the end of life itself. The end of the universe."

"So." Xaltis propped his chin up with a fist, his eyebrows knitted in concentration. "Let me see if I've got this all correct. You're saying that we're stuck in this endless cycle of sealing and re-sealing Kingdom Hearts because it's too powerful to keep contained. Not only that, but as long as it cannot be contained, dark entities will continue to try to reach it and – hold a second. You mentioned 'shadows falling' or something like that? What did you mean by that?"

"That much was unclear. The Elders did not elaborate on the topic, whether because it was unknown to them or because they deemed the knowledge too sensitive. However, I believe it's something much more sinister than anything the worlds have faced to date."

A fifth voice, sounding vaguely familiar but much more sinister, rang out from the void. "Sounds like something I'd wanna see…"

Xaltis swiveled his neck frantically to and fro, trying to find the source of the voice. "Who is that out there? It couldn't be..."

The sound of an opening Corridor of Darkness caused Xaltis to stand then turn directly around, just in time to see a figure sporting the black cloak of the long-extinct Organization XIII. Dark blue hair was visible under the hood, which the man slowly removed to reveal sharp black eyes and a face that mirrored his own in every way. A smirk crossed the mysterious man's face as a familiar weapon, the Dark Keyblade Knight's Demon, appeared in his hand. "Remember me? Time to die, Light Side!" He rushed the original Xaltis, who launched himself into the air with a reflexive Aero spell at the last second to avoid the attack.

"How are you still around? Talis purged you from my mind at the Citadel!" Xaltis shouted from above the platform-turned-battlefield. "You're supposed to be gone!"

The döppelganger called up to his original, "Our brother only assumed he did because you went back to being your weak self, but a fragment of my being still rested – always rests – in your heart, slowly regaining form as I fed on your doubts. Your possession by the Births was the vehicle by which I can now make my triumphant return, to wreak havoc on those who thought me dead and finish what I started. Pitiful light-bearer…now die!" The last two words came in a snarl as he let loose a dark fireball at Xaltis, who had no time to dodge and was struck square in the chest. As he flew through the subspace, Xaltis shook his head to collect himself, but realized too late that he could not stop the trajectory of his body which headed straight for another platform. He landed face-first to the horror of his Keyspirits, who looked on somewhat helplessly.

"What's the matter? Can't call on your Keyblades?!" Dark Xaltis smirked at his counterpart. "Weak...no wonder you fall so easily and so often."

"He's not weak!" Penny yelled at the specter. "He just doubts himself! Xaltis, get up!" Her face was stricken with worry as she looked over to her Wielder, almost begging him with her eyes.

Dark Xaltis turned at _Penitence_'s human form and smiled evilly. "Would you look at that? She's a cutie, Xaltis, where have you been hiding her?" Then he looked at the other two spirits on the platform. "Well, well, well, now it's a party!" He casted a dark lightning spell, aimed at the Keyspirits. "Dark Homing Thundaga!" Black lightning shot from his sleeves towards the three Keyspirits and Absolution stepped out in front to take the blow. Xaltis, from his fallen state on the other platform, looked on, still too hurt to stand or do much of anything else. "No! DON'T! Don't you dare touch them!"

The dark specter laughed maniacally as Xaltis' cries fell on deaf ears. "What's the matter, Light Side? Can't even get up? Can't face me? That's too bad, because now I'm gonna destroy them. Goodbye!"

"No! I won't let you harm them!" Xaltis' body began to glow with a golden light as he rose to his feet. The hood fell from off of his head, revealing that his own blue hair was turned white and his eyes changed shade to gold. "Don't you touch them!" His green cloak turned gold, then white, then gold, continuing its flux of color change as Xaltis teleported to stand in front of his Keyspirits and to block the black lightning with his hands. (A/N 1) "No matter what, I won't let him harm my strength." He turned to face his Keyspirits. "You guys are my strength, you and my family. I'll never forget that, never." His hand and Absolution began to glow as well, the blinding light illuminating the entire platform. "What...what's going on? Why is my hand glowing? Why are _you _glowing?"

"You've unlocked my true form, Young Knight; now fight your enemy and destroy him for good!" _Absolution_'s human form disappeared from behind Xaltis, causing the glow in his hand to grow stronger.

"We'll do it together! Come on, Magnus!" A new Keyblade formed out of the light in Xaltis' hand, fitting his grasp almost like a glove. The guard, in the shape of two curling wings, surrounded the hilt itself, shaped like the Knights' Crest. With a double blade of silver and black crosshatch and a white and blue filigree, the ends united at the tooth – shaped like a lion's head – similar to the Sleeping Lion Keyblade. The Keychain was shaped like the tooth; however it was colored midnight blue. The name _Knight's Strength_ flashed through everyone's minds as Xaltis' eyes' golden tint became more intense. "Dark Side! You will pay!"

"Not before you do, Light Side!" Dark and Light Xaltis each let loose a battle cry that shattered the dark covering of the platform once their attacks met in the center. The new platform depicted Xaltis without his cloak, eyes closed with _Knight's Strength_ in his hand. On the other side, in the same position but upside down, lay his darker counterpart, also without his cloak, but wearing all black as opposed to Xaltis' white and gold Drive clothes. The döppelganger wielded _Knight's Demon_ in the same position. In the background the ruins of the castle Arceo still stood strong and tall under the setting sun. The ever-present ring of Crests finished off the platform. "Looks like we share this platform, Light Side; isn't that poetic?"

"Shut up, you dark jerk!" Penny yelled to the evil character from behind Xaltis.

"The weapon gets bold! Better hush her up before I rip her a new one, X!" His voice grew more menacing as his sentence ended and he stalked closer.

"Penny...Eva...get out of here..." Xaltis' voice came out in a pained whisper while he addressed his female Keyspirits.

"But, X...we can help you."

"No, the fight's for just Magnus and I this time, alright? Don't worry, we'll be fine."

"X is right, you two. I can sense the darkness on this one. Though it doesn't threaten us yet, if we lose this battle, Xaltis will be lost forever, and if that happens, there'll be hell to pay, and none of us want that. Go, and we'll come back soon." The former _Knight's Absolution_ spoke gravely but softly despite being in Keyblade form.

"Understood, guys. Let's go, Penny."

"But, Eva..."

"You heard him; there's no need for us to stay and get caught in the crossfire." Eva turned to Xaltis, her lips set in a thin line. "You better win, or I'll never forgive you, X." Her lips curled into a weak smile.

"I promise, Eva, I'm not gonna let this monster get into my head any longer."

Penny and Eva faded away back to the deeper recesses of Xaltis' mind while he faced down his dark side with a death stare. Dark Xaltis' lips were set in an evil smirk right back at him. "Oh, how cute. Promises to a Keyblade – it's just a weapon, you fool! An extension of yourself that simply augments your power. Nothing more!"

Xaltis thought, "_Is that really how I felt about power? How could I have been so blind?"_

_Strength_ responded to Xaltis, "It doesn't matter; that's not you anymore, and if we've got anything to say about it, it'll never be you again."

The words from his Keyblade lifted his spirits slightly and he replied, "Agreed, Magnus. Now let's kick this sorry guy's butt."

Dark Xaltis sneered at his good half. "Oh please, you really think you can beat me? Don't make me laugh." He unzipped his black cloak and discarded it, revealing the same outfit depicted on the platform. His tanned skin sported a dark tint to it and his black eyes pierced even the darkness of the area. His wild blue hair – even more wild than the original's – came down over his left eye, and two large bangs in the middle curved in like wings. "Now what say we make this more convincing, huh? No holds barred, and no coats in the way."

"Hmph...whatever you say, Dark Side." Xaltis shed his own cloak to reveal that his underclothes became golden with white trim to match his new cloak. He pointed his Keyblade at his opponent. "Let's do this, then!"

Silently Dark Xaltis summoned _Knight's Demon_ to his right hand again but, to Xaltis' surprise, called another Keyblade from the aether to his left hand. _Dark Ruler_ rang through Xaltis' mind as he stared, wide-eyed, at the second Key in his opponent's hand. The same shape as _Knight's Strength_, but in all purple and black, the Key made a perfect opposite to the Light Wielder's Keyblade.

"Where'd you get another Keyblade?!"

"You think denizens of the light are the only ones who can get Keyblades? Being stuck in your head fueled my hatred and my desire for more power. It exemplifies itself in this, my Dark Keyblade. Surprised? You shouldn't be; I'm just as strong as you are, if not stronger. Black sparks surrounded the Keyblades as he threw them at Xaltis. "Dark Thunder Strike!"

Xaltis brought his Key up before his face to defend himself, but could only track one of the Keys that came at him. The other swung around from behind and struck him in the back just as he blocked the first. A shock of electricity ripped through him and he fell to the ground, disoriented. His döppelganger ran in his direction and dark flames formed in his hands, but Xaltis was never one to give up. He jumped up; hands free, he called upon his own magical ability to bring normal fire to his hands and then braced himself. The two collided and their fires cancelled each other. They split apart and re-summoned their weapons.

"Time for the darkness to envelop you!" The Dark Side began spinning his weapons in his hands at blinding speeds while dark lightning fell from above, striking random points all over the platform. Each bolt that hit one of the Keys got sent flying to Xaltis, who could barely bring his own Key to bear to block all of them. The Keys gathered enough lightning so that the sparks made spheres around the blades, continually spinning in midair on their own, conducting the electricity all over the field. Xaltis tried desperately to dodge all the bolts of lightning that were aimed in his direction. Dark Xaltis laughed uncontrollably as he grabbed one charged Key and threw it at Xaltis, who deflected it just as the Dark Side threw the other one; he caught the first in his hands and threw it back. Back and forth, the Dark Side alternated throwing his Keyblades at Xaltis, each one packed with more electricity, giving Xaltis more and more difficulty as the speed of the onslaught increased. Dark Xaltis laughed more and more maniacally as the battery continues. "Time to end this nonsense!" With a clap, his Keys merged into one, making one that bore a striking similarity to a Keyblade of ancient lore.

The similarity was not left unnoticed by _Knight's Strength_, who commented in utter surprise and near-horror. "That's...that's the χ-Blade! How could he possibly know how to make that?"

"Still surprised at my power? While I'm incredibly flattered, this is not the feared and legendary χ-Blade. However, it's similar enough to give me the power I need to kill you both." With a piercing cry, the dark specter rushed Xaltis, delivering blow after blow with his new blade, each attack sending a jolt of electricity through the two of them. One, two, four, eight, sixteen...countless slashes were constantly, though painstakingly, parried by Xaltis. The last, however, and also the most powerful, came as Dark Xaltis jumped back and somersaulted over him. Before Xaltis had a chance to whip around and parry, Dark Xaltis landed, spun on his heels, and slashed Xaltis right through, which also sent powerful charges of dark energy through his body and flung him across the platform. Dark Xaltis, standing in the slashing position, whispered very softly, _**"Est terminus pro lux lucis."**_ The lightning that coursed all around the stage returned to Dark Side's Double Key, giving him a darker aura for a few seconds.

Xaltis got up slowly, seething at his döppelganger's back. "You...you...grr...I'm gonna kill you!" His right eye changed from gold to black as his anger moved to take hold, darkening his facial expression.

"Don't let your anger cloud your judgment, young one. We can beat him without it!"

"I know, I know, but this guy's really starting to irk me!" Half-gold, half-black right eye.

"Getting on your nerves?! I'll show you!" Dark Side ran toward Xaltis once again, his Double Key dragging behind him.

"Not this time, Dark Side!" Xaltis back-flipped into the air while pointing _Knight's Strength_ directly at the ground. "What a riot!" Xaltis slid his hand along the length of his Keyblade, which surrounded the weapon with flame and he threw it at the ground below him, scattering the fire into balls all over the field. "And so..." Xaltis landed on the ground in the center of the field, removed his Keyblade from the ground, and quickly drew a circle around his position. "...let the flames begin..." The Knight called one of the fireballs to him and smacked it with the Keyblade, straight into Dark Side's exposed chest, which threw the man to the ground. Before he could get up, Xaltis jumped to the edge of the ring, drew a square into the ground around him and hit another fireball at his opponent, who got up just in time to get the fireball in his face. Xaltis then teleported to a second corner, drew a square in the ground, and hit a third fireball at his döppelganger. Another teleportation, and another fireball to the face of his opponent, which, this time, launched him up into the air. Xaltis then jumped to the final corner and drew a pentagon around himself in the floor of the platform. "_**Effingo duos!**_" Xaltis made a copy of himself and the copy walked to the center circle while casting a "Stopra!" spell on the airborne Dark Side. He then began collecting the leftover fire in a ball over his right hand. As the fire coalesced into a giant sphere over the X-Clone's hand, sweat formed on his brow and the original Xaltis readied his Keyblade as one would a baseball bat. Finally done charging the fireball, the X-Clone called out, "Play ball!" The X-Clone threw the fireball to the original, who hit it straight up at Dark Xaltis as he yelled, "Home Run Firaga!" Dark Xaltis' eyes could only widen as he lay helplessly in the sky, waiting for his doom. The fireball engulfed him and ended up cancelling the Stopra spell, which brought him crashing down to the platform below, smoldering and yelling.

"Lost? Me? Impossible! How could I have been beaten by such a weak attack?!" Denial became the word of the moment from the dark specter as his body started to fade into oblivion. "I'm not done on this plane of existence yet!" His Double Key faded into darkness. "My Keyblade...Xaltis, help me! You can't leave me to die here! I. Am. You!"

Xaltis looked at his evil döppelganger, hopefully for the last time, and with disdain told him, "Goodbye, Dark Side. This is the last time we meet, and you will NEVER be back." He pointed _Knight's Strength _at the Dark Side and a beam of light left the tip of the blade then struck his opponent, who yelled in anguish as he dissipated completely, leaving only his cloak behind. Xaltis walked over to the spot and picked up the cloak, deciding to hold on to it. "A souvenir. To remember, and to never go back to that dark place."

A blinding light then covered the entire platform, forcing Xaltis to shut his eyes. When the light receded, thousands of doves flew away to reveal a new pattern on the surface of the platform. The image of Dark Xaltis was gone, replaced by tangent circles, each with one of his family members on it, the fifth circle holding a picture of Queen Raina and the last holding a picture of the Knights' new friends Soriku, Roxel, and Asmuth.

"What...what's going on?"

_**You are free.**_

"Free? Do you mean free from the evil in my heart?"

_**Free to begin your journey, under your own power and volition.**_

Three small platforms appear in front of Xaltis, each with a different weapon on it: a sword, a shield, and a staff. "Is this...?"

_**A new journey unfolds for you, so choose wisely, young one.**_

_~~~~~~TKtK~~~~~~_

_Xaltis: "Finally! I was getting sick of that guy in my Dive!"_

_LoneStar: "Wasn't that worth the wait?"_

_Talis: "Sure, but now aren't you just exactly where Haji left you?"_

_LoneStar: "..."_

_Talis: "LoneStar?"_

_LoneStar: "..."_

_Kalin: "LoneStar?"_

_LoneStar: "..."_

_Xaltis: "T, I think you broke him! Good job, now how is he supposed to finish telling our story?"_

_Talis: "It's not my fault! I didn't know he would react that way!"_

_Kalin: "I knew we should've left you tied up..."_

_Xaltis: "While we try to fix our dear writer, I'll do the addressing. Special thanks to hajikurazaki19, first of all, for allowing us to meet Roxel, Soriku, and Asmuth, and also for writing us into your story. We all love you, Haji! Also, special mention to Haji for correctly guessing who the final voice in Chapter 4 was! We're all super excited to see what more you write in Krystahl Kingdom, so keep on writing! To the rest of the readers, just keep reading and reviewing, because that's the only way we'll get any better at this. Who knows, enough reviews and maybe LoneStar'll snap out of his stupor!"_

_LoneStar: "..."_

_Xaltis: "Umm...anyway, salus in lux lucis!" =)_


End file.
